Come Back To Me
by kittykittehkat
Summary: When Jesters parents ask for his assistance in a play, how will both Jane and Jester handle themselves without each others presence. And how will they handle it when they are together again.
1. Chapter one, The Letter

Author's Note: Alrighty. Here I go. This is my first major attempt at writing a story. I have done other attempts, It just didn't go past the 'notebook' stage, or I tossed it thinking that it was crap. Although this is my very first attempt at writing a fan fiction for _Jane and the Dragon, _every other attempt was for _The Legend of Zelda. _(I might still try to do a story for the Zelda series, depending on the feedback for this story. ) This one has been bouncing thru my head for awhile, and I didn't do much about it till now. I've put word onto my laptop ( I didn't have any kind of word processor for about 2 years since my trial ran out, but now I do again!! :) So we are all good to write. ) And I greatly encourage all comments. I do warn though, this first chapter might be a little slow to start... But I still hope that you all enjoy it. :)

Summery: When Jesters parents ask for his assistance in a play, and the King grants permission for him to go, how will both Jane and Jester handle themselves without each others presence. And how will they handle themselves when they are finally back together again.

I do not own Jane and the Dragon, Martin Baynton does and company(s) Nelvana and  
Weta Productions.

**Chapter One, The Letter. **

"It was a warm, sunlit, summers day. Clouds where lazily drifting by the window, and a warm breeze gently blowing into the room, cooling down both the body and the soul. Birds where flying in a frenzy being terrified by a giant green fire breathing lizard with a jovial laugh..."

Jester crumpled up his page with a sigh and tossed it into the lit grate, looking out of the window of his room at the cloudy day, far off in this distance there was the flashes of lightning and the smell of rain was lingering in the air, placing hope into the hearts of the farmers in the fields who where fighting to keep their withering plants from dying off. Taxes where coming up, and even though the King was very fair about how the taxes where paid, and did take the weather into consideration when it came to how much the farmers owed, there still was a price to pay for using the land in Kippernium.

The birds where indeed being terrorized by Dragon as he did his semi-graceful loop-e-loops and cartwheels in the air, yelling with an excitement that only he could muster up over the smallest things, like the birds darting away quickly from his large girth, or the moo of the cows in the Ranchers fields. Jester knew full well that Dragon would never eat any of the birds that flew through this area of the land, for why would he have to when Pepper feed him her rejects that just didn't want to work or nobody in the castle wanted to eat, even if they did work.

Smiling he got up out of his chair remembering the day when Pepper burnt her tongue, and Rake not wanting to hurt her feelings by telling her just how horrid her stew was becoming, when she put him in charge of the taste-testing, would feed it to Dragon behind her back. She did eventually find out about the feeding and soon after that found out how horrid her stew was. Jester recalling that Rake described it as 'tasting like swamp-water', something that Dragon thought was delicious. Since then every once in a while when she has some spare time, Pepper would re-make that stew just for Dragon. Slowly placing on his puzzle piece styled blue shoe, and matching jingle hat to complete his mandatory 'uniform' as some would call it, Jester got up to leave his room as he had a duty to addend to the King. Something about the children being bored on this very grey day.

Taking one last look in mirror to make sure there was not a spot on his blue clothes, all of his dirty blonde hair was hidden away under his bell-bound hat, and his grey-blue eyes had their mischievous gleam to them, he picked up his lute and bag of juggling balls then left his room heading toward the royal court room, looking behind him to make sure he had closed the door to his room.

* * *

Down in the kitchen, the smell of stew simmering on the open fire was almost too overpowering for Jane. The smells of the tender beef, simmering in the mixture of onions, green bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and green chile peppers was making the red heads stomach growl. The Chili powder in the stew was the culprit in the spicier smell that was drifting around the castle making everybody hungry and anxious for lunch to begin.

Jane was washing the kidney beans and corn that Pepper had just set in front of her which where the last two ingredients for the stew that was sitting on the open fire in the centre of the wall on the right of her.

"Jane, when the stew thickens can you please add that bowl of beans and corn?" Pepper piped up while adding flour to the stew to thicken it doing a little bounce of excitement on just about every word.

"I think so." nodded Jane, her fiery red curls bouncing in time with her nod, "and may I ask what exactly you are making? It smells wonderful."

"Yes, I would like to know as well. The Royal Family is getting antsy." said a high pitched voice from the stairwell, "and just let me know if you need some eggs with it..."

Turning from her task at the table, Jane looked up to see a sullen Jester slowly make his way down the stairs covered in eggs, "and what on earth happened to you?"

"Lets just say the royal children thought it was more entertaining to throw the eggs at the funny man, then to watch him juggle them." squeaked Jester looking at Jane with his greyish-blue eyes that carried an innocence about them, all mischievous gone, "and I couldn't tell you what was wrong with my voice. I just hope its not going to change on me again. I already dealt with that embarrassment, don't need to handle it again."

"Oh, But it was SO funny watching your face every time your voice broke and changed." giggled Pepper from the pot of stew, "and for both of your information, I'm making Chili Beef Stew. Jane, I need those beans and corn. Once those are added, it will be about 5 minutes for lunch. Go wash up."

"And perhaps after lunch Jester, you may want to go lay down for a rest." King Caradoc said with a worry in his voice, as he lazily wondered into the kitchen, "I fear that the this dismal day may be getting to you, and it would be most unfortunate for my best Jester to come down with a horrid cold. Most unfortunate indeed."

"Yes your Majesty" squeaked Jester, "but may I add that I am your only Jester?"

"Yes, yes." nodded the King. "That indeed you are. But if you fall down with a cold, I would be most upset. My children like their entertainment, and I refuse to let their entertainment fall down with a cold because of my carelessness."

"Now," started the King putting on a regal tone and placing his finger into the air, "you will eat a bowl of that delicious smelling stew, then rest up for the evening. I expect you in the court room ready to sing tomorrow morning." Turning to Jane, the King continued with his demand. "and you will have to watch the children tonight. Without the Jester, they will be most bored. Most bored indeed."

Turning around, walking back up the stairs out of the smokey kitchen, the King nodded to the cook then walked out, his chest pushed out in front of him putting on the air of royalty and power.

"Great." Moaned Jester. "pass me a bowl of that stew so I can get started on my long night."

"And I'll gather up everybody else for lunch Pepper!" Stated an excited Jane, her hair flying out behind her like a majestic cape as she bolted up the stairs to collect everybody while Pepper started filling up bowls and placing them on the table, humming a happy tune while she did it.

* * *

Why was it that every time we sit down to eat, there was only enough for everybody to have one bowl or plate full of food? Pepper always insists that she makes more so that there should be leftovers, but yet there is only enough for one plate. Looking at all the bowls of stew including his own, Jester figured he had come to the conclusion as to why there never seems to be enough for seconds. They where taking more to begin with.

Growing season was back, and in more then one way. Rakes plants where becoming beautiful, blooms coming into full, and some fruits and vegetables starting to ripen, but almost all the castle staff where growing again. Jesters fifteenth birthday was coming soon, which means that Rake would have already turned fourteen which means his puberty would be coming in full bloom, Pepper was also maturing, she had managed to gain some height but was still shorter then everybody else, even at thirteen. Smithy wont be celebrating his sixteenth birthday till the winter months, and is easily the tallest out of them all, he even towered over Gunther who insisted he was the most mature (when he was the farthest from it). Jane was the woman he really noticed though. She had matured the most, in the sense. She actually had little grapes starting on her chest, and the only reason why Jester noticed was because her father couldn't stop bothering Jane about how 'his little girl is growing up' and proudly announced it to just about everybody he sees.

Jester went back to eating his stew, the clinking of his spoon into the wooden bowl adding into the steady clinking of everybody else eating and taking drinks of the fresh milk that Smithy had just gotten from the cows this morning to cool the spiciness of the stew. It wasn't too bad, little spicy, but pretty good. The beef falling apart in his mouth, the bell peppers adding a little crunch to a usually softer meal. Pepper was even more proud of herself for this dish, as apparently it isn't made like a traditional stew, but he wasn't sure how traditional stew was made to begin with so it was hard for him to see how it was different. She was going off about how she had to brown the beef, sauté the vegetables, put the meat back, and stir. Didn't sound too hard to do, but it did sound like a lot of work depending on how she wasn't just making it for the six of them, but for the entire castle.

"Jesta. I hasth thomething for you... Jesta?" Piped up a small child-like voice from just beside him, but very far away. It seemed like it should be closer, but it was farther away.

Upon the feel of a gentle hand resting across his cheek, Jester snapped out of his revere and looked down at the little Princess Lavinia who was beaming up at him with her bright smile with the two front teeth missing, a letter in her left hand, and her right gently resting on his cheek. "your thupposed to thay hi."

"Yes, I'm sorry your little Majesty, hello, and how are you doing?"

"Good, look! I hath a letter! I wanted to bring it to you mythelf, did I do good?"

"Yes, very good, thank you." Jester nodded rubbing her head while she handed the letter to him.

Opening the letter, Jester looked up at everybody else and grinned. "Haven't gotten one of these for awhile."

"Well? What does it say?" Jane asked, concern plastered on her face. Curiosity on everybody else s.

* * *

Watching Jester open the letter worried Jane to no end. She wasn't sure why, but there was this feeling that it wasn't a friendly 'hi, how are you' letter. Her suspicions where proved correct as she watched Jesters face go from excited, to concerned, to worried, to happy, to a mixture of sad and happy with water filling up his eyes.

"What is it Jester?" She asked wanting to make sure that the feeling that she had wasn't real. It seemed too dark, too sad.

"It's from my parents." Jester whispered more to the letter that was crinkling in his hands then to anybody else, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, "They want me to come home."

* * *

Author's Ending Notes: I hope it wasn't too cheesy. This is one of my first attempts so it probably does need some improvement. But I'll work on that... maybe... Please review. I wont put up another chapter until then. :p * gives evil smile *

Also if you want the recipe for what Pepper was making. Just let me know. Ill track it down again for you.


	2. Chapter 2, Major Choices

**Sorry, Sorry. I had Finals to write. Although It really has not been that long at all. I still feel like I should apologize for taking a bit longer then I wanted to to get the second chapter out. **

**Now I write this one, while watching Kitchen Nightmares. :P Hopefully It is alright.**

* * *

**I do not own Jane and the Dragon. Martin Baynton and the company(s) Nelvana and Weta Productions. **

**Chapter Two,**

**Major Choices**

"Wait, let me get this straight." Jane whispered looking at Jester with shock in her voice. "Your parents want you to go home?"

"Yup. Home." Jester replied back looking at the table, his hands wringing the letter that he still hung onto. Tears starting to ruin the letters and the words that where written elegantly, like an artist drawn each letter to represent a masterpiece. Looking at the letter, Jane made the choice that she had to see it for herself, to have that final confirmation to what Jester had said.

Reaching out to grab the letter, Jane was surprised when Jester held it out for her to retrieve, his hand shaking and tears almost falling freely. She could tell that he was holding back as best he could, but as for what exactly he was crying about was unknown to her. Was he crying because he might have to leave, because the King would not give him permission to leave, or was it because he hasn't seen his parents since they left him here when he was seven, and the prospect was unimaginable to him. She would have to find out later as Jester was grunting for her to read the letter for everybody else to hear.

Clearing her throat, Jane held up the letter and began to read:

_My dearest son, _

_It has been awhile, this I know. Messengers have been hard to find, but when Koulto was willing to run my letter over to you, I was over-joyed! I started writing almost immediately and now it is in your hands. We all miss you terribly, the entire caravan included. I do wish that you could see your sister, shes a splitting image of you. Its only a little relief as I do wish that you where here with us. I hope that you did noticed that I have not used your true name. I got that warning in your last letter. Why wont you tell them your name? They all sound like such caring and trustworthy friends, I would love to meet them one day. Perhaps we will come by again, and we could perform a lovely play, or maybe a musical for your wonderful King Caradoc. (Did I get his name right? There are so many Kings in England I find, very hard to keep together, I'm always double checking with your father who we are preforming for.) _

_Our last few plays went well, your sister's voice is really catching, I'm not sure how she does it, but she can change it. One minute she has a high, soft voice. The next minute, her voice can be so terrifying, that even I have the shivers for awhile, and I would have had the opportunity to hear her lines or song at least a hundred times in the rehearsals. How is your voice doing? Has it changed yet? Any budding romances? I'm bouncing all over the place again aren't I? _

_Well... Let us stop beating around the bush then. Your father and I want you to return home. Not forever, you can return to the castle if you wish after the play. Yes, the play._

_Your father wants you to be part of his most recent play, working beside your sister. I wont tell too much now as we plan to perform it in front of your King when it has been completed and perfected. To tell the truth, I don't know all that much about it now, your father wont tell me. Something about how I might inform you what is happening in my excitement, and if you are anybody like me you have probably handed off this letter to a good friend to read, or you are reading out loud to start off with, Hence why your father wont tell me much, that way I cant spoil it for your friends. _

_Back to the point. We want you to return home. To be a part of this play of your fathers. It will be a musical so we are hoping that your voice has finished changing so that your father can compose the songs around your voice, unless its the voice of angels, then there would be no worry. We will be arriving in the kingdom of Kippernium within two months so I do hope you have received this letter before then. It would give you more time to make your decision. Yes. Decision. It is completely up to you if you want to help us out. You do not have to if you do not want to, or if you do not want to leave the castle. Your father does have a perfectly good backup just in case. We also have out into consideration that the King may not be too willing to allow his Jester leave without any guarantee that he will return. But we shall discuss this when your father and I arrive into the kingdom._

_We shall see you shortly. _

_Much love._

_Mom. _

Jane was in disbelief. Everybody was. The letter started out like a simple "hi, how are you" letter. then out of the blue it transformed into a, "we have a major choice for you. Its A or B. You have X amount of time to pick. Love!" It just did not seem fair to Jane that her best friend was faced with such major decision. She knew that Jester loved his family, she heard it in his voice every time he received a letter. And he kept everyone of the letters he received in the top drawer of his desk. He also would try to write back as often as he could, started every letter with a story, one that he wrote just for his sister.

* * *

Tears. He could feel them on his eyes. See them as they filled over and fall onto the letter in his hands, smudging the letters and the words of his mothers elegant writing. He wasn't sure if what she was asking of him was fair or not. Or if he should leave or not. He could leave and spend some time with his parents and younger sister, but at the same time he would have to leave the castle. The castle. His home.

Jane was starting to hold out her hand for his letter, for as much as he didn't want anybody else to know the contents of what was in that letter, he held it out for her to take. Grunting that she should read it.

Grunts. Is that what he has been reduced too, talking in grunts like a caveman.

Shamed, Jester looked at the table he was sitting at. The gentle whorls and knots of the wood, winding their way along the slab like water. Jane's voice reading the letter out sounded calm, almost soothing to Jester as he sat their pondering his way thru another dilemma, stay or leave. And what of Jane?

He knew that his other friends would miss him, but would Jane?

Shaking his head to himself, Jester knew that she would miss him terribly if he where to go. His father could be quite persuasive so he knew that the King would allow him to go once his father got talking to him, it was a survival strategy that his father had. "Talk you way out of everything first, before you resort to violence." Was something his father made sure to ingrain into his head before his parents left him here to gain a better education. "Better with the King then with us if you want to become any smarter" his mother had told him when he questioned why they where leaving him behind. "Your father has persuaded the King to accept you as the Royal Court Jester. You should be proud. You father and I am." She was crying, that was one thing he remembered. Her tears.

After that he only heard of them through the letters his mother would send and the words of the messengers. Last he heard they had returned to Italy to celebrate a birth. Then he received the letter today. They had to be out of Italy if they wanted to return to the castle in two months. But his mother never said in the letter where they where, just that they where coming.

Jane was finishing the letter now, It was strange to hear her say the last three words in the letter, "_much love. Mom." _Why would she not say something close to that to him... He cared for Jane, much more then a friend. Jester wasn't sure if he could say it was love yet, but he did know that Jane meant a lot to him. And it would hurt him to see her hurt because of his departure. 

* * *

"Wow" gasped Smithy. He was the first to say anything since Jane had finished reading the letter to everybody else. Half way thru the reading even Dragon came down to find out why everybody was all gloomy to find Jane reading a letter. Lucky he was smart enough to realize that it was not the right time to make any of his smart remarks. Unfortunately, when Smithy spoke, Dragon had to pipe in.

"So... Floppy hat. Your parents are coming?"

"Dragon..." Jane warned looking at her giant friend with a warning.

"What? I thought it was a good thing to have parents coming for a visit?" Dragon spoke has he hoisted himself up onto his hind legs, looking at the entire group with a childish gleam. Jester was looking at the table with such concentration, If he kept it up, a hole would burn into it. Princess Lavinia standing their looking not so proud of herself for bringing the letter. Smity, Pepper, and Rake all sat around the table looking at Jester waiting for any clue that he would be okay. Jane was busy re-reading the letter, scrutinizing it like there was a secret message between the lines.

"I'm sorry Jesta" Lavina apologized, "if I knew it brought you such sadness, I would not have brought it." Lifting her hand to touch the Jester's back, Jane was shocked to see Jester look straight at the Princess then gave her a hug. "Do not worry my little Majesty. You have not brought me sadness. You have just brought a letter. It is my fault that I see such sadness in it folds."

Lightened, the princess nodded to Jester then wondered off into the castle, probably to go play with her dolls.

"What a nice thing to say Jester" Jane complemented. "I think that should be enough to brighten her up."

"You only need to convince her with the truth. Nothing more, nothing less. And the truth is all I gave her." Jester retorted back grabbing his letter from Jane and storming off in the direction of his room.

"What is the matter with Jingle Boy?" Dragon questioned looking into the direction Jester went.

* * *

Jester wasn't sure why he stormed off like that. The look on Jane's face as he took the letter out of her hands with such force, put an arrow through his heart. She hadn't even done anything. Just complemented on how he handled the princess. He always had such trouble with knowing what to do at what time. It was like a continuous test. "Oh, how I shall fail when I have children of my own. That is if I have any..." Jester mumbled to himself.

He knew that in a heartbeat under any other circumstance he would have accepted his parents offer for him to go home and learn a new play. But as he had a 'blooming romance' as his mother would call it, he was unsure of what to do. Jester had not seen his parents for such a long time, and he knew that it would be good for him to see them again. But his mother had not put in the letter how long he would be away for. It could be as little as a month, or as long as a few years. And if it would take a few years, would his parents replace him with a temporary Jester, or would the King have to find a new one himself? All these questions bounced around in Jesters head until he had to sit on his bed and take a deep breath. Maybe he would go. It would give him a chance to visit with his family and get reunited with his younger sister. It would be a grand time. He hadn't done a play with the Gypsies for a long, long time, and it would be good to show the King what kind of magic can be formed with the Gypsies, when given the chance to show their art to the world.

The only thing stopping Jester from making a final decision was Jane. If he where to go, he would not be able to see her lovely face everyday, to be her best human friend, and a good one at that. He would not be the first person she would go to when she needed help with a decision, or just help in general. Or even just somebody to talk too. Slowly standing up out of bed, an idea had come to Jester and in a blink of his grey-blue eyes he was out the door, running, trying to find the messenger that had brought his mothers letter to him.

*****************

After about ten minutes of running around the castle, and just about giving up Jester spotted the messenger just as he was about the leave the castle. Running up to him was easy as a couple of hellos which got the messenger to stop walking and turn around looking to see who was flagging him down. Some excitement on his face.

"Yes?" He asked with a deep even tone, he looked to be in about his early thirties with a salt and pepper colour starting to grace his hair, cut short and simple, probably to help cool him down in the warmer spring months. "What can I do for you younger Jester?"

"I just have a question for you... when I catch my breath that is... " gasped Jester "and how on earth did you know my name?"

"Jester is your name?" The messenger enquired, I was just calling you by your job title, I had no idea that was your name."

"That's fine, that's fine" Jester whispered, the breath finally coming back to him, so that he was able to stand up and look into the deep brown eyes that the messenger had. His clean, trimmed beard matching his head with just a touch more grey in it then the deeper brown.

"Was that your question? Or did you want to enquire about the letter you have received today?" The messenger joked helping Jester steady himself out on his feet.

"How did you know that was what I wanted to ask about?" Jester looked at the messenger and realized at that point, either he was wise in age, or this was something that was asked quite often.

"From what I know about messengers, they are usually asked where the letter came from, so that the receiver can send a reply back. I know it would have been one of the first questions I would have asked if a messenger had handed me a letter on my front doorstep."

"You mean your not the messenger?"

"No." Laughed the man, he had a deep, jolly laugh, one that rolled off his stomach and could lighten any mood. "I got this from a messenger that I found passed out on the side of the road, on the way into the village from my farm. He said that it was of strong importance that it reached the Royal Court Jester before sun down tonight. The poor lad. Looked like he had been to hell and back. Must have been attacked by wolves judging by his injuries." The older man then sighed and looked at Jester, "I put him under the care of Judia in the Inn just past the old bay if you what to go talk to him. He may be of more help to where the letter came from. He went unconscious before I had a chance to ask him. You may want to make it snappy as his injuries looked bad. I'm not even sure if he would last the night."

"Thank you" Jester smiled, "It means a lot that there are still kind people in the world."

The older man smiled back, "It does help that was have 'old softy' ruling. When you go to the inn, say Micheal sent you. You wont have to explain a thing, Judia will know exactly what you are looking for."

"Thank you again for your kindness." Jester shook Micheal's hand just before he had turned around and departed back down the road that led to the village square. Standing there watching his back, Jester made his choice that he would go down to the village tonight.

Hopefully Koulto was still alive.

**Ta DA! A new chapter has been completed! **

**Thank you to the one person who has reviewed! At least now I know more then my family is reading them. :) **

**Hopefully I'll get another chapter up very soon. :D**


	3. Chapter 3, Hard To Come By

**Hey!! Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up, I had some major problems with it. I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I can't leave you guys waiting for too long. **

**I hope it matches up (kinda) with my last two chapters. **

**Thank you to those who reviewed! :D**

**I do not own Jane and the Dragon. **

**Copyright Martin Baynton and company(s) Nelvana and Weta Productions. **

Chapter Three,

Hard to Come By

"Pepper! Pepper!" Jester shouted as he went flying down the stairs into the kitchen, rolling head over heels down the stairs landing right at Pepper's feet looking up at her with a lop-sided grin on his face. "Oops."

"You know Jester, I don't think the court would think that you falling down stairs would be funny. You may want to work on that" Pepper replied looking down at Jester then giggling as she gave him a helping hand back up onto his feet. "Now was that why you where yelling at me?"

Jester shook his head bells ringing by his ears "No, no, no, I wanted to know if you had a bit of food for a short trip down to the village."

"Down to the village?" Pepper enquired, "That's not even a days trip... Why would you need food?"

"Yes. The village, according to a villager, the messenger that was supposed to deliver my letter from my parents is down in the inn with serious injuries." Jester explained bouncing on the balls of his feet, "I wanted to go talk to him before nightfall just in case he does not make it through the night. And I'm going to be missing dinner, hence the food."

"Oooohhh." Pepper sang, turning around to go check on the boiling pot of water. "But didn't the King tell you to rest? I'm making Chicken noodle soup for you so that you can get better, sooner."

"But I'm... " Jester stared "fine" he squeaked.

"It sure does sound like your fine." Pepper glanced at him with a disapproving look, "you should rest, Rake is bringing me his best carrots for your soup."

"But... The messenger." Jester pleaded. He was not going to be stopped by the cook, no matter how much she glared at him stating that he rested.

"The messenger can wait Jester, you fool." Jane piped up, bouncing down the stairs with her hands behind her back her fiery red hair flowing out behind her. "You need to get rid of that squeak. It doesn't suit you."

"But the messenger can not wait Jane" Jester wined his voice higher then Lavinia's when she squeals. "He could be on his death bed!"

"And you sound very convincing with a voice that could attract a dog" Jane winked, walking by him she patted Jester on his back and meandered over to the boiling pot of now chicken broth. "besides, you have to rest tonight."

Jester groaned. "One, I'm too worked up to stay here and rest. And two, its my job to meander. I'm the fool with the bells on his hat." He sat down on a near by stool placing his head into his hands. "What am I to do..."

* * *

After much poking, prodding, and pushing, Jane had successfully managed to get Jester into his room, and at least sitting on his bed. He was super persistent to talk to the messenger that was in the village inn, something about how he was dying. Jane could believe it, she was in the court room with the King when the farmer Micheal made his announcement about who he found. The King likes to know what the well being of his people were, good or bad. So of course he was very concerned about the visitor that was found on the side of the road. Wolf attack by the sounds of the injuries.

The inn owner who took the boy in noted all the injuries before Micheal came up to the castle to make his announcement, three deep gashes in his chest, bite marks all up his left arm, evidence of dragging on his back. These wolves must have been huge to be able to drag a full grown man down to the road side, and who knew how far that was.

"Could you go Jane?" Jester squeaked looking up from his hands. "It would mean a lot to me."

"You want to know where the letter came from?" Jane questioned him sadness in her eyes.

"Yes. It would be nice to know where my parents are, and if they are okay. I'm just in a hurry because I heard that his injuries are really bad, and I'm not sure how long he would survive..."

"I understand." Jane turned away from Jester and looked out the window to see Smithy gathering up some supplies from his forge. He was a little short on wood and did mention a couple of days ago that if the merchant didn't come up, Smithy would have to do a quick run down to the village to get a couple of planks of wood to fix a support beam in the stable.

"Smithy." Jane whispered.

"What?" Jester squeaked looking up at Jane's back his heart fluttering at the idea of Jane in his room.

"Smithy!" Jane squealed "He has to go down to the village for wood for beams to support places!" Jumping up and down in excitement, Jane ran out of Jesters room and up to Smithy.

"Smithy!" Jane yelled causing the blacksmith to jump in surprise, Pig on his side snorting.

"Yes Jane?" He questioned confusion clear on his face. "You seem to be itching to ask me something."

"Yes! Are you going somewhere?"

"The King has given me permission and some funding to get some wood from the village. I'm worried that the beam over the horses is going to give way and I want to get that fixed before that happens. I don't like how much its sagging."

"So you're going to the village?"

"It would seem so, why?"

"Can you do me... I mean Jester a favour?"

Smithy looked at her and blinked. "I was going to talk to the messenger on my way to the pier. If that is what you are asking."

"How..." Jane stumbled on her tongue.

"I've heard everything." Smithy smiled "my forge has been placed in the perfect spot. I was in here when Jester confronted the farmer and learned that he wasn't the messenger. Knowing Jester he would want to talk to him. And Pepper told me earlier that Jester has to rest, to I petitioned the King about the beam that needs fixing. I'll be back by morning with information."

Jane grinned and ran into the stable to get the horse ready, finally things where getting somewhere.

* * *

"You should go along with him" Jester croaked, his voice now resembling a frog as he carefully ate the chicken soup that Pepper prepared for him. Jane's mother had been in earlier to take a look at him and had declared that Jester was fine, it was just his voice changing again and it should go away in a couple of days, which did make Jester feel a little better, but it didn't stop Jane from insisting that he stayed in bed just to be sure that it was just his voice changing.

"Go with him?" Jane questioned, "But I don't need to go to the village for anything."

"You could go to make sure Smithy is okay. We don't need two people to have injuries."

"That is true" Jane nodded. "I could.

"Thank you."

Jane had ran up to Smithy earlier to ask if he was going down to the village, it just so happen to turn out that Smithy had already planned to go see the messenger, and at the moment he was preparing a buggy so that he had somewhere to put the wood when he had picked it up from the merchant that was supposed to came yesterday with the wood. It relieved Jester that Smithy was willing to go talk to the messenger in his place, as it was not very common that he was able to do that. A quiet guy. That was Smithy. Jester would label him as the quite, and mature person. He was the one that was able to calm down a fight, sometimes even before it started. Has such a calming presence, its very hard not to like Smithy. Which made Jester grateful that he had him for a friend.

"Smithy is okay with going down and talking to the messenger?" Jester asked, his voice transforming from a frog to a little girl "he is a shy guy."

"I'm sure that he will be fine. I'll be with him, so if he can't talk, then I will. But I've seen Smithy get out of some sticky situations." Jane said, confidence leaking from her voice. "everything will be fine."

* * *

Smithy was ready to go. He had the two fastest horses hooked up to the cart and some snacks just in case he or Jane got hungry. Jane was getting comfortable on the seat and was arguing with Dragon as to why he couldn't come. Eventually though the bickering stopped with Jane promising that she would bring back something for him. Such a child Dragon could be, but he was good friends with Pig so Smithy was happy. Until Dragon knocked something over or burned something, then he wasn't so happy. He knew that they would be able to get down to the village in about ten minutes, and probably should talk to the messenger first, then go pick up the wood. The King has given him permission that if he needed to to stay the night down in the village before getting the wood he would be able to. Just because the wood cutter worked on his time only, not really on anybody else's time which could be frustrating, and cause trips to be futile.

He then hoisted himself onto the seat beside Jane and got the horses moving. He was happy that Jester convinced her to come with him as he didn't want to try his luck with wolves. Smithy did know that he was really good with animals, but hes never tried to calm down a hungry wolf looking at it's dinner. The horses had gotten started, the muscles in their hind legs bunching and releasing as they took step forward pulling the cart behind them. Smithy knew that both of the horses he chose would be able to pull the weight easily, as long as he didn't rush them with the wood in the back. Smithy got the horses at a gentle trot down the gentle slop leaving the castle. On the way down, Smithy gauged how steep the slop was and how much fast he would be able to push the horses. He decided to let them set their own pace on the way back, no matter how slow it was, as the last thing he wanted to happen was that they strained themselves with the load.

Just as he had predicted, Jane and Smithy had reached the village in a short amount of time, it wasn't that far away from the castle walls as Gunther always complained about walking into the castle with his head held high saying that hes walked his mile for the day. Smithy grunted.

"Pardon?" Jane said looking toward Smithy, she had been talking about something for the entire ride, to herself so that Smithy couldn't understand what was coming out of her mouth.

"Nothing. I'm fine. What are you mumbling about?" Smithy asked, flicking the reins so that the horses slowed down as they started to enter the village and head toward the inn on the other side.

"Sorry, Sir Theodore only agreed to let me come if I promised to recite the different Kings from the century to him when we get back."

"That sounds like it could be difficult."

"I'll be fine."

"That's good, as we are just about to approach the inn"

* * *

They had arrived at the inn pretty quickly Jane noted, but then she wasn't really paying attention as she was checking and double checking that she knew all the Kings from the last century. Approaching the inn Jane finally looked up, it was a clean little cottage with red roses and light blue tulips planted in pots just around the door. The white washed walls really stood out from the rest of the village and the deep brown door finished the homey effect that the house gave off. Pulling up to a stop right in front of the door, a young boy maybe about Jane's age popped out of the stables at the side, like he was standing there waiting for them to show up. Smithy mentioned to him that they where just visiting and should not be to too long inside. The boy nodded but still stood there to make sure that the horses do not get stolen.

Walking into the homey cottage it proved to be just as welcoming on the inside as it was on the outside. It was an open floor design built to look just like a house. More like a bed and breakfast then an inn. The only difference being that in the dining room area that you walked into had tables set up throughout the room. There where about fifteen table neatly lined up in the room with an aisle leading up to the bar where a plump women in her forties stood with a friendly smile and tightly curled brown hair half tied back to keep it out of her face. There where many people lingering around the dinning area and a young woman in the kitchen making the different meals ordered. The Stairs leading up to the rooms where just behind there in the living room where there were simple chairs and couches to lounge about in and relax by the roaring fire in the grate.

"Can I help you?" Asked a cheery, yet stronger voice from behind Jane. Turning around she realized that it was the plump woman behind the counter when her and Smithy first walked in.

"Are you the owner?" Jane asked looking up into the bright green eyes of the woman.

"Yes, I'm Judia. How can I help you?"

"Micheal" It was all Smithy said. No explanation, no pre-speech, just 'Micheal'

"Ahhh... You want to see him. He isn't in good shape the poor guy, but he is upstairs in the third room to the right. I was up there a little before you showed up, he should be awake still." Judia nodded pointing out where the stairs were then shrugging with her hands right after.

"Thank you Judia" Smithy took her hand and gave it one little shake then turned to pull Jane up the stairs.

"What was that all about?" Jane asked, a confused look plastered on her face, green eye trying to bore out the truth.

"The farmer said to say his name to Judia and she would know what we wanted without any questions or explanations. Or that's what he told Jester." Smithy explained. "But here is the third door.

Jane reached over and gave a gentle knock, from inside the door came a quiet "come in" and a bit of rustling.

Opening the door, Jane and Smithy entered a dimly light room where there was a single bed along one wall, and a chair in the opposite corner, leaning over the bedside dresser was a small man trying to light the oil lamp that had been placed on top.

"Here let me get that" Jane offered walking over and lighting the lamp

"Thank you" replied the quiet voice again. Looking down Jane saw a small body and the vivid blue eyes that where looking up at her with interest. "Your dressed like a knight."

"I am one of the Kings knights. My name is Jane."

"A female knight. That's a first."

Looking at the tiny person in the bed Jane had to giggle to herself. Here he was saying that a female knight was a first, yet she was looking at the smallest grown man ever. It was almost like he never grew up at all.

"I am a first. I'd say we where both a first." Jane giggled as the little man looked up at her with confusion written on his face like a palate. He had to be about four feet tall, if he was lucky based on where the lumps were his toes would be popping up from the blankets. Longer, unkempt brown hair flowed to his shoulders and looked as though he had just woke up. A couple claw marks marring his right cheek and along his arms. His breathing was shallow and sounded painful as he wheezed in every breath of air, and he eventually just laid himself back down, as it looked almost impossible for him to keep himself propped up on his thin arms. "I have been told that I'm smaller for my age." He responded still looking confused even though he was obviously in pain.

"We are looking for Koulto, would that be you?" Smithy asked looking concerned for the mans well-being.

"That would be me" Koulto wheezed looking between Jane and Smithy "who are you?"

"Jethro. But my friend call me Smithy."

"Sm...it..h..y" tried Koulto, "That doesn't sound like Jester to me."

"Because it's not Jester" Jane retorted her patience starting to wear thin. "hes still up at the castle as he is not feeling well and the King ordered him to rest."

"Ah." Koulto took a huge gasping breath and slowly released it. "Did he get his letter?"

"Yes." Jane nodded.

"Good"

Leaning back into the pillow, Koulto closed his eyes and smiled. "Can I see my parents now? So I can tell them I tried?"

"Whatever do you mean? Your a grown man. You should be on your own, not always reporting to your parents." Jane remarked raising her hands in the air "I don't understand you..."

"Grown man? Me?" Koulto had opened his eyes and looked straight into Jane's. "I'm not an adult. I'm ten. My parents died three years ago and I've been on the street since, delivering messages just to pay for my next meal. I've been fighting for my life since the farmer found me on the street just so I knew that the letter had been delivered. The world is too hard for a little guy like me. But I fought it anyway, tooth and nail. Then the wolves got to me about halfway between here and the neighbouring kingdom. I'm done fighting. I just want to see my parents." Tears started to leak out of his eyes as his breathing became laboured. Jane walked over, stunned beyond a doubt that this young boy fought for three years on his own, fought for a life, fought to be a child.

"Hush little one. I'm sorry about my rude remarks earlier. That was unkind of me. Go to sleep, and in your dreams you will see your parents again. I promise" Jane placed a hand on the young boys cheek, stroking it like her mother would have done when she was younger and had a nightmare. Smithy walked over and took the young boys hand stroking the back of it as he hummed a slow and gentle tune.

"Mulaster" Koulto whispered. "That's where the letter came from."

And with that his breathing slowed and came to an end, the youngest messenger would see his parents again, calmed by the gentle care of the knight and the blacksmith.

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**Chapter three.. Don't you hate it when you have a good idea, but it just doesn't want to be written smoothly... I got very frustrated with it, but I did try to fix all the grammar and spelling mistakes... I do hope it matches up with the first two chapters. Hopefully I'll have a better time with the next chapter. **

**Please review let me know. **


	4. Chapter 4, Fast Forward

**Thank you everybody for your reviews! It makes me happy that my dysfunctional chapter was actually okay. :P **

**Hopefully I'll getting started here soon on the idea that got this story started. :) (I got the ending part first, and had to make a beginning for it to make sense. :) ) So these last chapters I've just been coming up with the ideas as I'm going along. But don't worry, it folds into my idea. :) **

**I am really sorry that this chapter took so long, I'm sick. Yuck. So I'm going to apologize in advance for any spelling and/or grammer errors, my brain is not working right and my "editor" is also just as sick. So sorry! I will try to get better. But I probably wont get another chapter out till both of us are feeling 100% or even 85%. **

**I do not own Jane and the Dragon.**

**Copyright: Martin Baynton and company(s) Nelvana and Weta Production. **

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Chapter Four.

Fast Forward. 

Jane was stunned. Her and Smithy had stayed with the young messenger for a couple minutes after he had closed his eyes before they realized that he was not breathing anymore. It was the first time Jane was in the same room as somebody who had just passed away, and it floored her. She had nothing to say, wasn't sure what to do or how to handle the fact that Koulto had passed away. He was so young, it just didn't seem right that his life was taken from him so soon. It was Smithy who sprung into action. He didn't say anything, just had placed his hand on Jane's back, then slowly got up and walked out the door. Jane kissed Koulto on the forehead and followed him out closing the door behind her like the small child had just fallen asleep. In a way that was all the small boy did, the only difference was that he would not wake up.

Judia couldn't even believe it when Smithy told her. Jane was still unable to speak, the shock still flowing through her system. The bigger lady had wondered upstairs and was upstairs for a few minutes, seemed like hours to Jane, but did eventually come back down and comment that the boy was indeed not breathing, no heartbeat, and his skin had started to cool. No need to keep a dead thing warm she had said. It seemed so impersonal, so uncaring, yet the older woman meant well as Jane later learned that she had apparently asked her what cold skin had to do with anything. Cold, impersonal.

Judia had made the decision that she would leave the young one in his room until most of her other guests had gone to bed before she moved him. Her husband had come home by this time and had agreed to quickly throw together a coffin for the messenger even though it would just be a box because of the short notice. He was a bigger man as well, not in fat like his wife, but in muscle. He was like a big teddy bear, with icy blue eye's and a clean shaven face. Easily six feet tall and had the air of a friendly guy, and the wood worker that Smithy was looking for. Apparently the reason why he worked on his time was because he was the bouncer for the inn, around this time was when the drunks got antsy and the fights started. His presence alone was enough to stop the drunks from beating each other bloody, but his brother still stayed at the workshop so that the rumours that he never worked on customers time was vanished, people just didn't think his brother was capable of running a workshop, even though he was the co-owner of it. Little mean, but still more then capital of running the place.

Smithy managed to get some nice planks of pine from the wood workers brother at the shop, they guy was smaller then his brother, but just as buff as he was able to load the cart with out breaking a sweat. He was a little more impatient thought and demanded the money from Smithy a little quicker then he could find it in the bag he had brought. But other then those, he was more then able to handle his own in the shop. They had just left the inn to go pick up the wood after Judia had told them that she would handle Koulto in a very respectable way, and insisted that they started heading back to the castle before the wolves came out again. She didn't even care about the fact the Jane was a squire, when told Judia pointed at her and said that she was not much older then Koulto and she didn't want to bury two young children in one night, knight in training or not. So they had head out and picked up the wood.

After picking up the wood, the two of them had headed back up to the castle and unloaded the wood into the stable so that Smithy could get right to fixing the stable the next morning. After that Jane had wondered up into the throne room to give an update to the King and the Queen about the collection of the wood and the death of the messenger that was attacked by wolves. She also had to report that the messenger was a ten year old boy, which had caused the Queen so start crying instantly and demanded that she went to go see the burial. The King agreed and they had left about twenty minutes later with Sir Theodore. Almost immediately Jane had gone to her room and lain on her bed, no tears would come, and she didn't feel like any food so she skipped dinner. Just laid there, in the dark with all the windows shut.

* * *

Jester hadn't seen Jane since she got back from the village, she had just kinda waved half-heartily at him, not even commenting on how he wasn't in his room, in his bed, resting. It hurt a little he had to admit, to have your best friend walk right by you like you where not even standing there.

He had found out from Smithy was happened. In just about full detail, he was pretty out of it when he was talking. Just putting out words, not really thinking about what was coming out, just getting it out. Jester found out about how the messenger was actually just a little boy, only a couple years younger then Jane. And how the injuries was just too much for his little body. Smithy even told about how Jane was moderately rude to the poor guy thinking that he was a grown man in a small body. It was at this point that Smithy started to cry, the one time that he ever showed his emotions, and Jester had to push him into the stable so he could comfort him without Gunther making fun of the poor guy, like Gunther has never cried before...

They where in the stable for pretty much the rest of the night, Smithy in his down moment decided to fix the stable anyway and asked Jester to stay, who sang a balled for Koulto, then tried to make Smithy feel better by making up stories about a little boy named Joesph. "_Let me tell you a story" _Jester had waited for Smithy to look at him and nod before continuing, "_There was a man named Joesph who's brain was so rattled a rattle snake was jealous. He would fall for the silliest and dumbest things that people said. Some called him a fool, others stupid. One time Joesph went to France to see what more there was out there past his little box on the street and was invited into a __travellers pack to see a cave. Inside the cave there was a well that was called the 'stupid travellers well'. Not knowing why Joesph had asked why it was called that, just to be told that the answer would come to him if he stuck in his head as far as it would go into the well. Not knowing it was a trick, Joesph did what he was told and ended up falling into the well. Standing up in the waist high water, he tried to get the others to help him out, but instead they all left laughing. On the first day in __the well, Joesph tried to scale the wall and didn't get very far before falling back into the murky water at the bottom of the well. On the second day he tried again, and this time he got half way up the side of the well before falling back down. On the third day, he tried one last time, and this time he managed to climb out the top. Standing at the top of the well looking so proud of himself, Joesph turned to look back at the well he just conquered to see a ladder built up the inside of the well for the idiots who fell in to climb back out." _

_ Smithy had laughed at that one. _

_

* * *

_

Jane was in her room for three days only coming out for food and her mandatory knight lessons, other then that she sat in her room. Every once in awhile, Dragon would pop his head into the room and talk to her, trying to cheer her up. Sir Theodore told her that she will have to learn how to get over a death a lot quicker then she was if she wanted to be a knight where it was her job to protect the castle, which means that she could have to kill somebody, and/or be surrounded by dead people. She knew that, but she also knew that the people would be grown men. She had mentioned to her mentor this fact and he burst her bubble by informing her that "_Not all the time Jane. Some Kings are brutal and send kids out to defend their land. Mostly as archers, but sometimes as decoys to try and stop the foes from attacking. You also have to remember that these 'grown men' are human too, and that they have families, wives and children at home. People waiting for him to return home. Which is why we have to try to negotiate first before drawing our swords." _He had then went back to his tactics lesson.

By the fourth day, Jester had just started walking into her room with only a knock to warn her. She hadn't changed, washed, nothing, and that day he had knocked three times, followed by a pause, and two more knocks, his special knock just so she knew it was him. After his knock, Jester had walked into the room, and without saying a word, threw the blankets off of her and pulled her out of bed. She thumped onto the floor, as he didn't give her a chance to gain her footing. Once he pulled her up from the floor he pushed her out the door, Smithy took over by lifting her right off her feet and onto his shoulder, hauling her to the stable where he placed her down in the middle of the walkway then grabbed a bucket and poured the freezing water over her head. If there was ever a wake up call that was needed, it was right there in the middle of the stable, with the horses watching, and two of her close friends looking at her with another bucket ready, and Pepper standing in the background with Rake, Pepper holding a cup full of something steamy, the other a blanket. When she didn't move pass the initial shock of the water over her head, Smithy let another torrent pour over her head. The second one was the one that did it to make her jump up and get mad at them for pouring water over her head. Smithy was calm in his answer, "_It's been four days Jane. Sir Theodore said you have to get over it. If you don't you can't become a knight, and he will not train you any farther. As your friends, we decided to act. Have you snapped out of it?"_

"_Yes. I am sorry." _Jane had bowed her head at this.

* * *

It's been almost three weeks since Jester and Smithy had "awoken" Jane. She had gone back into training with a vengeance to prove that she could be a knight. When asked about why she was so beaten up about the death of Koulto, she would always reply with a shrug, "I_ don't think anybody really understood how they reacted."_ Jester had went back into his room and prepared a song to honour the boy, but not much else, he did tear up a little but he had to be happy as it was his job to be, through thick or thin. Jane has isolated herself, Smithy cried for that little bit, Pepper had gone to Rake and the two of them cried as well. The Royal family went to watch the burial and the Queen did not let the royal kids out of her sight for a good day, before the King told her that they were fine. And the knights, well, they where knights, they didn't show much emotion about it at all. Gunther was speechless for once in his life.

It had only been about a month since the letter had arrived to Jester which informed him that his parents where coming, and Jane could tell the nerves where starting to settle in. She knew that he would be walking around like a robot, making sure all his jokes where top mark, all the balls at their max juggle. He was preparing.

But nobody was prepared for the welcoming bells to be rung, and three large caravans entering thru the main gate with a young girl about the age of three leading the way, her laugh floating up into Jane's room like little bells, a woman wearing brighter purple clothing running after her. The giant horses and bulls snorting and shaking their head like they where used to it, another girl walking just behind the second caravan holding a baby also laughing at the site of the toddler and her mother. A couple of stranglers walking up behind the third and last caravan. Jesters parents had arrived.

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**Yay!!! I finally got the the beginning to what I think is exciting. I'm still working hard on putting together the caravan, but I'll get it organized and a new chapter up as soon as I'm feeling better. **

**Sorry this one took so long, it was a busy I have no idea how long it's been since I last updated, and I kept getting side-tracked (getting sick was one of them...) **

**Please enjoy!! **


	5. Chapter 5, The Gypsies

**I'm finally feeling better! :) I did get better, then I got sick again, got better, then got sick again... Uug allergies. But I'm all good now!**

**Anyway, It took me awhile to get Jester's family sorted and put together, but I finally got it done. (and dare I say I made it a little big... That's okay.) Your not going to meet them all in this chapter, but you will get to meet them all eventually...**

**But I shall stop talking now and move on the the stuff you are actually going to read. :P (although I should warn... there is swearing...)**

**I do not own Jane and the Dragon. Copyright Martin Baynton and company(s) Nelvana and Weta Productions. **

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**Chapter 5**

**The Gypsies**

"Viola! Viola honey! You can't go running off from grandma like that!" Shouted the brightly clad women who was running after the young three year old female, who was bolting with full speed in the complete opposite direction from the grown woman. "Unca" was the only thing the toddler was shouting, pure excitement plastered on her face.

"Please Viola, if I have to get your grandfather, there will be trouble!" The brightly clad woman shouted again, chasing the little girl into the other court area.

Thirty seconds later, Jane heard a scream of anger and some crying. "She must have caught the baby" She whispered to herself shaking her head at the idea of letting a child run off like that.

"Before you say anything, you used to do that too. Must be something babies like to do." Sir Theodore commented looking at Jane who had just reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Whatever do you mean sir?" Jane questioned "I hadn't said anything about the fact that the baby had ran off"

"But you where thinking it."

Blushing, Jane looked at the scene ahead of her more closely. There where three large caravans built to be lived in. They where built out of a deeper coloured wood so that the brighter colours that where painted onto them would not be as florescent, there also seemed to be a cover on the top of the caravans in a deeper green colour probably used to hid the buggy's in the forest. They where surrounded with action as people where opening closed windows, and calling for people to help them roll up the last cover on the side of one of the other caravans. There was an older man walking around shouting orders out at the people who looked like they have all done it before. Another older man was sitting on the back of the middle caravan getting his back rubbed by an older woman who looked like she was scolding him for something.

"SHUT THE F**K UP WOMAN! IF I WANT TO PULL MY BACK, GOD DAM I WILL!" The older man shouted, which caused the older woman to smack the back of his head "Wash out your mouth Enzo! There are children around!"

"Oh my." Sir Theodore shook his head, "that is a very colourful group."

"Indeed" Jane agreed. By now the brightly dressed woman had returned from the other area of the castle carrying the screaming baby in her arms, a giant smile on her face. "I wonder who is who."

At this moment, the King decided to make his appearance to see what all the commotion was about. Entering the main entrance area of the castle, his face went from that of disappointment, to sheer joy.

"Ahhhhhhhh! The gypsy caravan! How delightful!" Clapped the King. "Jane! Theodore! Come! We must properly greet these people!"

Upon the call of her King, Jane walked forward and stood on his left side, while Theodore took the Kings right. Gunther and Ivan where standing by the stable doors preparing to lead the group to where they would be staying. Noticing that the King was standing there, the gypsies ran a chorus of a word Jane could not understand, and the older man that was shouting off orders came jogging up to the King bowing low.

"I am Gianni. Leader of this Gypsy caravan. How may we be of service to you?" The older man said. He had silver hair, windblown on the top of his head that was pulled back in a ponytail that hung down to his shoulders on his back. A multicoloured scarf was tied around his head pirate styled and the extra cloth hung to his shoulders. He was wearing dark brown pants that where loose fitting and tightened up around his ankles with little bells around the cuff that had a softer tinkle to them when he walked. A dagger hung on his left hip. He wore a simple pair of walking boots under the pants. His shirt hung loose fitting around his butt area and was white with a lighter brown vest buttoned up over top.

"How delightful!" The King proclaimed clapping his hands together. "Such service! Come we shall talk in the throne room!" Walking away, Gianni and the King started to chat while Theodore followed behind. Jane had decided to stay behind and watch the activity that was still going on around the caravans, it was like it never stopped. The baby was set free again, but this time was running around the caravans with the pure joy only a child could have. Every time she ran by somebody, they would stop what they where doing to give her a smile. Some even hugged her, the older man who swore earlier crouched down and tickled her, her laughter echoing in the air.

"Hello there." Said a voice, it was softer, gentle, with a loving air to it. Surprised, Jane turned around and looked straight at the woman who was chasing the baby before. "Oh! Hi!"

"Hello!" The woman smiled, she wasn't much taller then Jane, probably about a head and a half taller with stunning shoulder length, blond hair that was half tied up in the back of her head. A purple scarf wrapped around her head so that it covered the top of her head and tied up just in the back so that the extra fabric hung down to her mid back. She also had light blue eyes that carried much kindness to them. She was dressed in a purple top that covered just her breast area and the full arm, cloth pulled in a diamond shape which was tied onto her middle finger on both hands. Her dress started at her hip and contained four layers. The longest layer just covered her bare feet so that you could only see them when she walked, and was the same shade as her top. Layered over that was blue cloth that tied in a knot around her right waist and sloped so that the corner just touched her left knee. The third layer was a piece of multicoloured cloth fashion to carry thing on her right waist, and the fourth layer where metal coins placed close enough together so when she moved they hit each other and made a light bell like sound and they where fashioned to do the exact opposite of the blue cloth. Her belly was easily visible and toned. "Where you standing there with the King just now?"

"Um," Jane stammered, "Yes?"

"OH! How splendorous! Your the first female knight! You must be so proud of yourself!" The woman smiled, her hands placed together in a praying motion. "Which means you must be Jane."

"Yes. I'm Jane."

"Wonderful! I got it right for once!" The woman was bouncing on the balls of her feet, the smile on her face almost touching each ear. The bells on her skirt ringing. "Which would mean that you would know my son! May I ask a favour?"

"Your son? I'm sorry miss, I don't know who your son is."

"No?" Her face dropped in disappointment, then suddenly light up with worry and agitation. "I am so sorry! I haven't properly introduced myself have I?"

"No, you haven't"

"IM SORRY!" She hugged Jane repeating that she was sorry.

"It's fine!" Jane pushed her off, "you could just introduce herself."

The woman bounced up, a smile plastered on her face again "Hi! My names Clara, I'm Jesters mom."

Jane was floored. This smiling, almost crazy woman was Jester's mother. It just didn't seem right. She was standing there very politely, a smile on her face waiting for her reaction to finding out who she was. The longer Jane stood there stunned, the smaller the smile became until it became pure worry. "Is something the matter sweety?"

"No. I'm just shocked." Jane put out a hand to try and comfort Clara. "I always thought Jester's mom would be more... more..."

"More mature? Maybe more sturdy?'"

"Yeah! Something like that!"

Clara looked at Jane and smiled, tilting her head to a little to the left. "Sometimes, a person makes up an image of what somebody is supposed to look like, how they are supposed to act, talk, be. All made from things people tell you, or what you over hear. Then when you actually met the person and all the you envisioned is wrong, it shatters you. That's when the disappointment comes in. It's unfair to the person, for you to get mad because they turned out to be different then what you imagined, instead try to get to know the actual person that is standing right in front of you."

Clara stopped and thought for a minute, then looked up at the sky sighing. "You just have to learn to keep your disappointment inside, so that you don't hurt their feelings by being upset. It makes them think they did something wrong, and because of it, they are unliked." Smiling she looked back down at Jane and placed her hands upon Jane's shoulders. "To be honest, I thought you were bigger. Not so lanky. Most of the knights I've ever seen are more muscular then you are. It was shocking to see you."

"Well... Pardon me for being a girl." Jane scoffed and started to walk away, pushing Clara's hands off her shoulder.

"There is nothing wrong with being a girl." Clara looked toward the small child running around a young man maybe in his mid thirties. "If it where not for women, nothing would be right. The miracle of childbirth can not be done by men alone. They are not flowers."

Jane laughed. "No. They are not... But what does that have to do with me being a lanky knight?"

Clara looked down at her body and pinched her bare waist. "You will have to work twice as hard to get anywhere near the strength of your fellow squire. But because of that, woman are always soft. My husband is always telling me that I make an amazing pillow." She flashed Jane a grin. "Just try your best. If you do that, then you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Where did you get such wisdom?" Jane questioned looking at Clara with wonder.

"It's the same thing my mother told me when I first met my husband. She had gone off about how amazing he was, so I had put the man on a pedestal. When I actually met him however, he was completely different then what I imagined and I got mad at him. Later that evening, my mother told me this bit of wisdom. Now I pass it onto you, and maybe one day you will pass it on to somebody else."

* * *

Jester heard the commotion that was happening in the main gate. He knew it was the gypsy caravan, only they could make an entrance that loud. But it's common practice to be loud like that when entering a kingdom so that people know the gypsies have arrived. Jester did have vague memories from when he was younger and he was yelling at the top of one of the caravans.

Sticking his head out of the top tower window, he was proven right as he saw the green canvas on the top of the three larger caravans sitting in the main entrance of the castle. There was still quite a bit of activity going on, but it was starting to calm down. People where starting to settle in, some clothes where being washed, as he could see some clothes hanging off a make shift clothes line off of the first caravan in the line. The animals hadn't been unhinged yet, as that was one of the last things done... once the leader knew where they could place the caravans. Behind Jester the princess was crying for attention, she couldn't understand why he was sticking his head out the window, and wanted to do it too. Placing a stool down on the ground, Jester lifted Lavinia up onto the stool and held onto her waist while she looked out the window.

"Jesta? What are those big boxes down there?" Lavina asked trying and failing to lean farther out the window.

"Those are caravans." Jester replied, straining to hold the princess in the castle.

"Caravans?"

"Yes."

"Oh!" The princess jumped away from the window and raced down the stairs, quickly to be seen racing across the ground around the caravans. The glee obvious in her squeel of joy. With a sigh, Jester followed her down at a much slower rate, not sure what to anticipate from his parents. "_Should I take of the hat, or leave it on_?" He pondered to himself.

* * *

Jane was still stunned, Jester's mother had just proved her wrong again. After she had given her little speech, Clara had asked Jane if she was able to go get Jester, when Jane had mentioned that she was not sure where exactly he was in the castle, his mother shrugged, smiled and said "then I guess I'll have to rely on curiosity to bring him out. He will come." It wasn't the idea that she was not too worried, it was how well she knew her son even to this day as very shortly after that, Princess Lavinia came running into the area, and shortly after that Jester wandered into the area.

"Oh! Honey!" Clara yelled running toward the blue clad boy, with the biggest smile on her face. "It's been so long!" Jane braced herself for the crash that occurred, when Clara got to Jester, she didn't just hug him, she collided into him, which resulted in the two falling down onto the ground, Clara squeezing the boy with all her excitement. "My son! My son! My son!"

"Umm... Jesters mom?" Jane had slowly walked up to the struggling pile where Jester and Clara had collided, "I think you're killing him."

"Hu mmmf. I miffeds is guoupf." Mumbled a voice from under Clara breast, "nomff, gahn kneew mef omf o mmm?"

"I'm not killing him sweety" Clara replied as she stood up and helped Jester to his feet, "Most of my weight was on my elbows."

"But?" Jane questioned

"She always greets us like that. Both me and my sisters." Jester looked at Jane with a giant smile on his face. "It became a competition to see who could hold her up the longest."

"It's true. I was easier on him when he was younger. They never where in any amount of danger." Clara grinned, pulling Jester towards her and hugged him close to her body, taking off his hat and ruffling his hair.

"Have you found the boy?" Shouted a deeper voice from behind Jane "The girl is going to be out still. Your mom said her fever has come back."

"Yes, dear! I have found him! Come say hello!" Clara answered back, her smile becoming more tender.

Upon the sound of footsteps, Jane turned around to see a teddy bear of a man walking up toward her, a smile placed on his face. "Hello Jane, I'm Dario, Jester's father. It's a pleasure to meet you."

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**AH! I finally got it done! :D Took me more then long enough, And that's not all of the family I have put together. :P There are a couple people I'm still perfecting, (and a couple of people I have to change their names.) :P **

**I hope it's alright, and I'm sorry for the long wait! **


	6. Chapter 6, Saying Goodbye

**Hey! **

**This is were is all happens! In my Authors ending notes Ill explain what that means. (For those that actually read these. You never know, I might throw in random spoilers. :P) So i realized after I uploaded the last chapter that I missed a bunch of spelling errors, Oops! My bad. Hopefully I got them all this time. (I'm really lazy right now, so i might fix those later.)**

**Anyway, Thank you everybody who did review! **

**I do not own Jane and the Dragon. Copyrighted Martin Baynton and company(s) Nelvana and Weta Productions. **

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Chapter Six

Saying Good-bye

"Hello Jane, my name is Dario. I'm Jester's father."

If Jane thought she was confused before, it was nothing to how confused she was now. First there was Jester's mom who seem so scatterbrained that she wouldn't know the difference between the kingdoms even with somebody whispering in her ear, to his father who is so large, he could probably carry a deer single handed while it was still wiggling to escape.

"H..h..hi?" Jane stammered looking up at the larger man in front of her. He wasn't large with fat, it was mostly muscle that toned his body and rippled along his arms and legs. He was wearing a forest green tunic with the arms ripped off to create a torn look, as if his arm muscle alone ripped through the sleeves. His leggings where a light brown and covered down to his simple deer leather shoes. "I'm the hunter, if your curious to why I have gigantic arms." Dario smiled looking at Jane. "And besides, I'm not that muscular."

"Yes you are." Jane replied looking at Dario's arms, "your bigger then most of the knights under the Kings command."

Looking at himself, Dario laughed and looked up at Clara, "See! I told you I could be a knight! I can defend all people!"

"You can be a knight over my dead body." Clara replied, a sly grin on her face. "Besides, your a tadpole compared to your father."

"Tadpole!" Dario put on a face of mock horror. "I must get bigger! Get more rocks in my belly!" Slapping his larger girth, Dario laughed a deep merry laugh that was contagious. Soon everybody within hearing distance was laughing along, the sound lightening Jane's mood.

"How do you like my parents?" Whispered Jester in her ear, Jane hadn't noticed him walk up behind her. "Very animated, aren't they?"

"Yes! They seem like quite a handful." Jane laughed. "How would one be able to keep up with their antics?"

"That would be a question for my sister. She's the one that keeps them under control." Jester grinned. "Besides, they are not that bad. My mom is actually pretty witty. Where do you think I got it from? And my father... He is a giant teddy bear. Really nice. He is just in charge of all the heavy lifting. Grandpa swears he was born a bundle of muscle."

Jane laughed, "I wish my parents where like that."

"What do you mean? Your parents are special in their own way. Your father is very smart, and you mother is extremely caring." Jester punched Jane in the arm, "But you stuck with them. I like my parents too much to trade. Too bad."

Jane stuck out her tongue as Dario came walking over and slapping his hand down on Jester's shoulder making him collapse onto the ground holding onto his shoulder with pain.

"What the hell?" Dario commented looking down at his son rolling on the ground. "That weak kid. I barely touched you." He then proceeded to grab Jester by the arm and haul him up to his feet without making a sound. "Lili can withstand that, and she's even smaller then you... But then, I've done it to her so many time, her shoulder and legs must be made of stone by now."

"Lili?" Jane questioned, confusion plastered on her face.

"Short for Liliana. She's my younger sister." Jester replied, a toothy grin on his face as he rubbed his arm where his dad pulled him up, "She's always been smaller then me."

"Just smaller? Boy, that girl is tiny compared to you. You should be embarrassed outta your bloody mind." Dario yelled, slapping Jester on the back which caused him to kiss the ground again. "Now I'm embarrassed!"

Clara came walking over at this point and helped her son back up onto his face, and even started to wipe him down, taking off most of the dust and whispering to him. Every once in a while Jester would nod and reply back, and one point punching his mom in the arm, which caused her to frown and taking his hand walked him toward the caravan shaking her head and mumbling under her breath.

"Where is Clara taking Jester?" Jane asked trying to look around Dario who was blocking her path. "Probably to Enzo" Dario replied, all goofiness gone. A face of dead set seriousness taken its place. "We have to toughen up that boy, or we wont be bringing him back alive."

"Alive? Why wont he be alive?"

"Bandits, sometimes even the town people start beating on us. If that kid can barely handle me smacking his back, he's a dead boy."

"But why would he have to worry about bandits, or even angry towns people. He only has to entertain the royal family." Jane questioned, dread starting to sink in.

"He's coming with us." Dario replied looking down at Jane with an expression that dared her to rebel.

"But why?" Jane glared back.

"Because he is my son, and I have final say over his well-being."

"But the King could say no, and Jester wont be going anywhere."

"The King wont say no. I made sure of that."

"How could you have made sure of that? The King has final say over everything."

"I sent a letter in advance to Clara sending one to Jester. We were not sure at the time if the King would agree or not, which is why the letter has the appearance that he has a choice. But we received a letter back just before we arrived. As long as we meet the agreement, Jester could come with us." Dario crossed his arms. "And as far as I know, we have met the agreement. Unless you can prove me wrong."

"That depends on the agreement" Jane challenged, beginning to think back on her training on negotiations that she just had the day before. Preparing to use it to the best of her ability.

"As long as we had a temporary replacement Jester, we could take our son for as long as we wanted and/or needed."

"I don't see any replacement Jester." Jane challenged, a smirk starting to form on her lip.

"His name is Koulto." Dario responded, his face steady as a tree on a windless day.

"Hate to be the bringer of bad news." Jane was almost leaping on the balls of her feet, she might be able to protect Jester from having to leave the castle. "Koulto died a month ago from wolf attack injuries."

Dario didn't budge. He didn't even seem fazed by the information. Instead he stood up straight and yelled "Concetta!" Within minutes, a busy looking middle aged woman wearing an ocean blue dress that showed off her shoulders came running out and came up beside Dario, looking confused.

"What" She asked, looking at Dario's stern expression and Jane's triumphant one.

"Tell me we have another person for a replacement Jester? I'm not letting this fiery red-head beat me at my own game."

"Replacement Jester?" Concetta questioned. "Don't tell me..."

"Wolf attack."

"Maggots." She then hit him on the arm, which got a little flinch out of the larger man. "What did I tell you?" She hit him again. "Clara is going to kill you when she finds out the poor child died. Was it really so hard to send a protector with him?"

"I did send somebody to go with him to make sure he was okay. This is what I don't understand."

Dario actually looked worried. "I can't loose him again Connie. I just... can't."

"Not too a little twelve year old. I know." Concetta patted his arm. "Who did you send to watch him?"

"Leonardo."

"Have you lost your bloody mind!" Concetta yelled smacking Dario upside the back of the head, "You of all people know how worthless that child is when it comes to things like this."

"I thought you knew that he was going..." Dario looked at Concetta worry starting to seep into his facial features. "I told him to ask you if it was okay, to give him another chance."

"Oh. He came to me alright. To ask if it was okay to stay behind in the town for a little longer." Concetta scratched her forehead the wheels turning in her head. "You know how he is. If its a human with boobs and a skirt, he's after her with the drool hanging lower then his groin region."

Jane stood there watching the two adults bicker with each other, the feeling of success growing stronger as Dario got more worried. Then out of the blue Concetta stood up straight looking toward the caravans and yelled "Leo! You get your scrawny ass out here now before I skin it off you!"

"Coming!" Shouted back a masculine voice followed by an extremely skinny boy of fifteen wearing something fairly similar to what Jester wears. The hat included.

"Did you swipe those off the boy?" Concetta asked pinching the clothed on the boy and flicking the bells on the hat.

"One and the same." The boy grinned.

"Good, it flatters you."

The boys face dropped. "What do you mean mother?"

"I mean, it looks good on you. Jester."

"Oh... Bugger..." The boy tried to run, but his mother had grabbed onto his arm in a firm grasp that had him whimpering for her to let go. Instead she pulled him a little closer to her and seethed. "You will be the Jester for The King and Queen in this kingdom while we take their Jester away for awhile. You will not defy me in anyway, and if I find out that your doing a terrible job, or tried to cut out. I will skin you to your bones."

The boy whimpered, Jane thought he was about to burst into tears under his mothers glare. "But mom..."

"No buts! I don't even care how pretty the girl was! You were supposed to watch that child for everything. But you know what happened instead while you were chasing the women?" Concetta glare was starting to scare Jane as this point. The boy sure was terrified. "He died. From wolf injuries. From wolfs you where supposed to kill before they saw, smelled, or even sensed that the child was there." She let him go at this point just held him there with her eyes. "Instead, you went off after somebody who had a flowing skirt, and now look where we are."

"I'm sorry mother."

"Sorry wont save your hide this time Leonardo. And don't even think that you father will save you this time. You are so far into the deep end with this one, not even..."

Dario had pulled Jane away at this point. "When Connie gets this mad, the last thing you want to be is anywhere near her." He then looked into her eyes and grinned, "But we have met the agreement. My son is coming with me."

* * *

Jester was in the caravan, sitting on a bed, in the absolute nude with both his mother and grandfather staring at him. His clothes had been removed as the King wanted them back, that and his grandmother wanted to check over him to make sure he was as healthy as could be. Why his mother, grandfather, and sister were all looking at him, Jester was not sure, and it was starting to weird him out. His sister was behind him poking at the places that their father had slapped Jester making sure that they would not bruise.

"You know Ovid... You really need to toughen up if you are coming with us. Dad would be peeved if the best you can do is sing and dance." Liliana looked at Jester a smile on her face. "You shouldn't bruise, but you might be tender there for a couple of days, Dad got you good."

"Shut up Lili. How can you be comfortable looking at me?" Jester looked up at his mother who had her head tilted to one side and speaking to his grandfather in Italian about how tiny he really was.

"It's easy Ovid. Where do you think we change. That and grandma is going to come in soon and give you a physical, and its easier if your naked." Lili answered, her voice softer then Jester's with a feminine charm to it. Her shoulder length light brown hair gently flowed past her face as she leaned forward around him to look into his eyes. Her eyes the same light grey in colour, but with a more feminine appearance to them. That what it was like to have a twin of the opposite gender of you. Both Jester and Liliana were identical in appearance, but the biggest difference being he was a boy, she was a girl. She was also the smaller one. While Jester was already touching five foot five, Liliana was just hitting five feet. She was a little more built then he was, but according to his grandfather once he got all trained up, he would be just as built as his sister.

Looking to his left, Jester found the painting of his older sister Sera who had died in childbirth to his niece Viola. She was a beautiful woman with bright blue eyes and a deep chocolate brown wavy hair. In the picture, she had just found out she was pregnant and it wasn't noticeable yet. Both him and Lili where in the picture as well, as the family had come to a nearby kingdom and asked to borrow him for a family portrait. It's the last picture that was painted before Sera died, and she was glowing. Even the painter saw that and tried to paint it in, as a result she has a lighter skin tone in the painting then in real life.

"She would be proud of you." Clara said noticing that her son was looking at the picture. "The childbirth was too hard for her. Lost too much blood. But she did want me to tell you how much she loves you. Don't you ever forget that she loves you." she then sat down with Liliana sitting just beside her, "And we do have Viola to remind us of her."

"What ever happened to the father?" Jester asked, readjusting his hands to make sure his manhood was covered.

"Nobody knows. When Sera found out she was pregnant, he vanished." Clara paused to think about it. "If I remember correctly, Sera knew the reason why he left, but just never told anybody." At these words Liliana looked away at the opposite wall, and sighed. Her hair making a wall so that Jester couldn't see her expression.

"Do you think if Sera never got pregnant, she would still be here with us?" Jester asked, sadness in his voice.

"No." It was Liliana who spoke. "She said so herself."

"What do you mean?"

"Just after Viola was named, Sera wanted to talk to both mom and me. Just the two of us nobody else." Lili stopped to regain composure. "she said that she knew she was dying, and she wanted to tell us that she loved us and you Ovid. When I asked her the same question about if she never got pregnant would she still be here, and she said no."

Clara continued, "Sera told us that it was bound to happen, and she decided if she was going to go, she was going to leave us something to remember her with. She was always a sickly child. Just before she found out she was pregnant, she had a fever so high, I thought the caravan was going to burn down."

"' If this childbirth doesn't kill me, then a sickness that I'm bound to catch will.'" Liliana quoted, tears rolling down her face. "Those where her exact words before she passed away. There was so much blood."

Jester wasn't sure how to respond, his mind was blank. He barley even noticed when his grandmother came in and started looking at his entire body. There was even a point where he had to stand so that his sister could dress him. He was so numb he didn't care anymore. Dropping his hands, his sister was able to place on some undergarments before putting on a white tunic and loose fitting deep brown pants, and wrapping a pale blue scarf around his head to help block the sun. After she had bent down and put on a pair of boots. He vaguely remembered asking his sister why she wont come outside, and have her reply that she was watching Viola who is napping, to being pushed out the door and quietly lead to the Kings throne room. As he walked by Jane he looked over to see her being restrained by his father as she was screaming at him to fight, and not leave her behind. His dad was talking to her, probably trying to calm her down as for the first time in his life, he watched Jane cry.

A little farther down, he saw Leo dressed in his old Jester clothing slowly being led towards the throne room by his mother who looked like she was crying with his father closely following behind, his lips locked in a tight line. Just after them stood Smithy, Rake and Pepper, all looking at the commotion with surprise on their faces, and Gunther just behind them with a smirk.

Jesters mom had meet up with him at this point, and they together had meet up with his other grandfather and leader of the caravan Gianni at the entrance just leading into the garden area. Gianni had rested his hand on Jesters shoulder at this point, and the sad feeling re-engulfed Jester as he began to realize what was going on. He never had a choice wither or not he could stay or go with his parents, but for some reason it was oddly soothing to know that he didn't have to make the difficult decision.

His mother was talking to him, Jester wasn't sure about, but just knew that she was talking to him. Probably trying to soothe her son to the fact that he was going to be leaving what he was so comfortable with. The King and the Queen where standing on the top of the stairs just by the fountain that decorated the front garden beside where the doors to the throne room where. A grim look was upon the Kings face, and tears where on the Queens. His family and the royal family talked for a little bit before Leo had to swear his loyalty to the King as his temporary Jester to replace him while he was away. There was a hand shake from the King, a gentle nod from the Queen, and Jester was being led back towards the Caravans, back past all his friends and their shocked faces, back past Jane who had stopped fighting and was crying on the ground, Dario trying to soothe her and keep Jester hidden from her view, then he was next to Liliana in the caravan where he found out that they where going to leave the next day as they had to return to Italy to preform to a King.

It was only then that he shed his tears.

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**WOOT! This chapter is done. I didn't have it originally planned to have you meet his sister(s) until later on, but then the chapter just flowed to him being in the caravan and his sister poking and prodding his back. And yes, I gave Jester a twin. :P **

**My original plan was to have Jester's dad reason with the King to let Jester go without having to replace the job position, but then it fell so nicely into place that one of Jesters cousin would take his place for not properly protecting Koulto (R.I.P) Although don't worry, none of the gypsies are violent towards their children in an abusive way. All bumps and threats are filled with love. (And Leo's mom was really upset.) But now you have meet about a ¼ of the crew... there is about six more you have to meet... :P **

**But I commented in the opening notes that this is were it was all going to begin, Jester is leaving, and adventure is sure to follow... :P **

**Reviews are great! Thank you so much for reading! 3 **


	7. Chapter 7, The Final Goodbyes

**Wow... It's been awhile since I last updated... MY BAD! MY BAD! Jane's POV chapters just kinda slipped into the story without me really planning on it, but I think it's better now that I've decided to add them into the storyline. That way you will get to know how she is actually doing, and not what she's telling Jester. :P **

**Let me know wht you think in your reviews. :) (You don't have to, but it's greatly appreciated.) **

**But I'll stop my yaking... **

**I don't own Jane and the Dragon... I think we know the rest, it hasn't changed. **

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Chapter Seven

The First Good-Byes

_Dear Jane,_

_I do hope that you will not be too upset with me. It was a surprise to me as well. My parents explained it last night to me. They had everything planned out, and organized it right down to a kidnapping if it was needed. Ah, my parents, they do like to make sure that things get done. _

_We left before dawn so we didn't have a chance to say good-bye. I did come up to your room to see if you were awake, but you were not. I knocked on the door, and when you didn't answer I cracked the door open to see if you were okay. You were fast asleep. I didn't wake you because you looked so peaceful, so I decided I would write a small letter to tell you that I will see you soon. I promise. _

_Just make me one promise Jane. Be happy. Do anything that makes you happy. Work your butt off on your knights training. Kick Gunther's butt many, many times. Become the first female knight. And most important of all... Find love. It's the greatest gift in the world to find love, and have love find you. Find that gift, and keep it close. _

_Be happy, and be safe._

_Your Best Friend_

_Jester. _

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_

Slowly, and quietly he opened the door, stopping at the sound of it creaking. Some light spilled in, and the gentle curve of her body was viable in the shadow. She was still asleep.

"Maggots" he whispered under his breath and closed the door, the creaking still audible in the spring air.

Jane turned and looked at the door, debating if she should rise or not. Her eyes still heavy and sore from sleep and kept threatening to close. There was no way she was going to lose at this battle, not if it was who she thought it was opening the door. She could hear whispering behind the door, a heated argument by the sounds of it, one the whispers of a boy, the other a girl.

Finally there was silence.

"He must have left." Jane mused to herself, rolling back over and making herself comfortable again. "I know I have the wrong person. Jester would have at least said good-bye" The hot tears rolled down her face, the traitors.

Just before drifting off the sleep again, Jane heard her door creak open again, and the gentle breeze from the outdoor air drift across her body. Somebody was coming in. Too tired to move, or open her eyes, Jane stayed completely still hoping that it was just her mother checking in on her. Until she felt the soft touch of somebody placing there hand on her shoulder.

There was a crinkle, and a small amount of pressure on her pillow beside her head. Then the soft touch of lips upon her right cheek.

"I'll see you later, and I'll miss you dearly." whispered his voice in her ear.

Just as quickly as he was there, he was gone.

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Jane awoke with a start, flying up into the sitting position like she had a nightmare. Within an instant, her hand reached up and touched the place on her cheek where it was still tingly from the touch of his lips. Looking around, she found the note laying on her pillow, just where her head had rested, her name printed on the top in his clean printing.

Without any hesitation, Jane grabbed it and gently opened the folded paper revealing the note inside. The more she read of the letter, the more her eyes watered with the salty traitors. When she was done reading, Jane wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and set the letter into the bottom of her trunk on the end of the bed where she kept all her knightly wears.

Placing her feet on the floor, Jane lifted herself into standing position, tears starting to roll freely. She had to be sure.

After the slow process of walking over to her window, she placed her hands on the cover and pushed it open, just to look out and see an empty yard. The caravans where gone, only the tracks of where they rested for the night still visible.

She barely made it back to her bed before the tears started flowing heavier, blurring her vision. It was barely dawn, and Jester was already gone.

"Jane? Are you alright?" Dragon had pushed open her window, and stuck his head into the the room, his face contorted into worry as he looked upon his friend who's tears where still rolling freely down her face. She had been crying for awhile, her red eyes and swollen face proved that, plus the fact that she was now just sitting there looking into the abyss. There were no shaking sobs, no sniffling, nothing. Just the steady movement of her breathing, and a small sway to stay balanced.

Dragon exhaled and pressed it farther, "Jane? If there is one thing I rarely see... It's you crying. What happened?"

"Nothing." Jane snapped, moving her head to the side and began to admire her shoes the tears starting up in a fresh stream.

"Nothing?" Dragon quoted, tilting his head to the side. "So your not upset that Jingle boy left?"

Jane's head popped up at the sound of Jester's nickname, a gasp escaping her lips.

"That's what I thought." Dragon smirked letting out a breath of smoke from his nostrils. "He stopped by the caves before they left to talk to me. I've been given a task."

"What task is that?" Jane sniffled looking back at the floor.

"Keep you safe."

Jane stifled a laugh, "you do that already green lips."

"Im supposed to make sure you don't take them leaving too hard... Or something." Dragon looked around and hummed to himself "Or maybe something to do with a gift... with love..."

"The greatest thing you will ever find is love."

"That's it!" Dragon grinned I'm supposed to help you find this gift."

Jane laughed "You help me? I don't need that gift. What I need is to wise n up. Jesters gone, and he's probably not going to be coming back."

"I know that's its strange for me to be giving advice, but take it from a very handsome 300 year old Dragon." Dragon paused a looked at Jane "Sometimes, when one looses their hope, its hard for them to accept that fact that there is a silver lining in the clouds. Find that silver lining again, and soon hope will return."

"Hope? Where did you find this crazy saying from? I haven t lost hope."

"But you have short life. 'He's gone and he won't return.' That's what you said."

"Forget it, I have lessons" Jane stood up and rubbed her eyes, and storming out of her room.

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_Find the silver lining. Where did he come up with that? That's the worst thing that I've ever heard. _

Jane was in a bitter mood. It's not like it was everyday that your best friend just leaves with only a note to say good-bye. "_It's not his fault I guess... But at the same time... He could have woken me up." _

"Jane!" Sir Theodore sternly commanded "The Ox is a move that you should have perfected when we first started training. Yet, your stance is wrong... I thought it was your favourite?"

"It's one of my favourites sir." Jane responded, giving Gunther a side glance as he started snickering beside her.

"Then fix it." She did as she was told.

"You seem a little distracted. Is it because your boyfriend left?" Gunther taunted, Jane fell for it.

"He's not my boyfriend! And it doesn't matter if he can't be bothered to stay under the service of the King! I'm not the one who is being a traitor!" Jane yelled throwing her wooden sword onto the ground looking toward Gunther with a fiery rage.

"Jane!" Sir Theodore commanded "Control your emotions. Jester is not a traitor, he has taken a leave."

"A leave?"

"Yes Jane, a leave. His parents had requested that their son spend some time with them, and the King agreed as long as they gave him a replacement Jester." Theodore bowed his head down. "Don't loose hope, it's the biggest mistake a knight can make. It could cost their life."

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After a very uneventful lunch, Jane found herself in her room once more, this time seated at her bed with a pen, some ink, and a piece of parchment. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, as she was supposed to write down all the names of famous knights that she could, instead, Jane sighed and began to write:

'_Jester,_

_I'm not sure what to do...'_

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**It's done! Its on the shorter side but it's done! **

**I'm so sorry that it took so long to update, but I got it! :) **

**I also got chapter 8 done so I've uploaded that one too. :) Don't hate me too much. **

**(and my English has gone down the drain... can't think straight, as I am that tired... :P) **


	8. Chapter 8, No Mercy

**Chapter 8. **

**I can't believe I've gotten this far. I'm quite proud of myself. :D This is a changed chapter, I was informed by a fellow author that somebody had already used the move I originally had in the chapter, so I just made a couple of quick changes. Hopefully they are alright.  
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**I should warn you, The caravan knows Jester as Ovid. So I'm going to be using his "real" name. I'm not sure what it actually is, so I named him after one of the wittiest people from Rome. (Cool roman name :) ) **

**We all know the drill, I don't own Jane and the Dragon, and if you don't know who does by now... I'm afraid I cannot help you... **

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Chapter 8

No Mercy

_Jester,_

_I'm not sure what to do. I know what I'm supposed to do, but what feels right, I'm not sure. You left out of the blue it seems. Your parents arrived, then they left, with you in tow. Are all Gypsies this planned and organized? Or is your family just unique in that sense? _

_Now, as for your promise? I'm a knight in training, I'm going to work hard, I'm going to kick butt. I'm going to become the first female knight, no matter what people think. As for finding love? I don't think I will be able to. Gift or not, its too distracting, and I can not afford to have a distraction. Thank you for worrying about me, but I wont find love. No man wants to be married to a knight. It's too degrading, I've accepted that fact. And now I've accepted that you gone. _

_Enjoy your time with your parents._

_Jane. _

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"Well, that's a depressing letter." Ovid sighed, placing it on the bed to his side. It's been three months since him and his family had left the Kippernum castle, slowly heading toward Italy were the King wanted him and his family to do a play proclaiming his 'greatness'.

"What's a depressing letter?" Lilianne asked, flowing into the caravan that she shared with Him and their parents.

"This." Ovid waved the letter in the air from Jane, "she's given up."

"How do you mean?" Lili questioned turning around and snagging the letter from her older twin brothers hand and began to read it.

"Hey! I never said you could read that..."

"Shhhh... I'm taking it in... Reading between the lines." She paused "Something you men need to learn how to do." Lili then turned the letter upside down andstarted to hum to herself.

"What are you seeing between the lines?" Ovid asked, obviously impatient to get his letter back.

"She hasn't given up. She's lost hope. Big difference."

"What's the grand old difference?"

"She has a chance to get it back. If one were to give it up, it would take a lot to have them get it back. On the other hand, to just loose it, is like loosing your underwear. Eventually, it can be found again."

Ovid grabbed back his letter and scanned it over again. "How?"

"Easy." Lili started "I read it. I also noticed that you haven't told her your real name."

Ovid looked up at his twin and smiled, "In due time, it's still new to me too."

"How is it possibly new to you? You've had it for fourteen years?"

"Been called Jester for seven." Ovid smirked at his twin, who was shaking her head, the long golden brown trusses flowing around her face.

Two months ago, Jester had went back to his real name, and nobody in the caravan would call him Jester, no matter how much he tried to change their minds. His grandmother had put it to him bluntly as to why. "_Your name is Ovidius. It's who you are. I don't care what the King thinks. With us, your Ovid. Suck it up and deal with it." _Thanks Grandma.

It was weird to get used to at first. Everybody calling him Ovid, when he was so used to being called Jester for so long. But the caravan was relentless, they where determined to re drill him into being called by his real name rather then the name he gave himself while he was at the castle. They never called him Jester. Ever. The closest they came to calling him Jester was when his mother asked him what it was like to be a Jester for the King, and being called Jester by everybody. It became normal for him after awhile, so it didn't bother him. Worst thing to say. His grandmother proved that.

"Your not supposed to be looking at other peoples personal stuff Lilianne. You know this." Ovid's Mother had walked into the caravan in the middle of his thinking. She was carrying a small wooden box with a lock on it, a key sitting on top of it. "Here my love, this box is for you. You can hide whatever you want in it." Clara spoke softly handing him the box in her hands. "The key is on top, hang on to it, you lose it, it's going to be a very hard box to open."

"Thank you mom."

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The caravan was easy to live in and with. You do your part, your set to go. You take care of others, and they will take care of you, that's what his Grandpa Gianni believed. So most of the training was done in pairs. There was training were one was on their own, but that was only in the case where a separation occurs, which was rare. Ovid was paired up with his sister. Understandably. The only problem with that, she was trained, he was not. When she tossed the wooden sword his way in the small confines of the caravan, not only did he miss it, but he slapped himself in the chest, and got a black eye from the hilt. It had taken a couple of weeks for it to go away, but even with the black eye, it didn't stop his sister from tossing things his way until finally one day he managed to catch the rock she flung his way.

After about a month his father convinced his grandfather to stop in a big open field for a day to get Ovid trained up a little with a sword. What Dario didn't know was that his son was trained only in jokes, no swordplay, nothing. Ovid could barely pick up the sword, let alone swing it. That was a disappointment. So, to get things in gear, Ovid was handed over to his sister who was to show him the basics. But she did more then show him the basics, she put them to the test. "_I want to make sure your paying attention, you have to get these, and you have to get them quickly." _That was her logic. When he asked his father about it later, all he had to say about it was that he was lucky his sister was teaching him with wooden swords. "_Don't forget Ovid. Your sister was trained by Grandfather Enzo, she's going to be just as tough with you. Watch your back, but watch hers as well. And the training will never stop. In the beginning she wont wake you up, but once you learn more, she might. Remember it, and don't try to cut out on training. I love you son, but if we get attacked by somebody, I expect you to be out there watching your sisters back, no matter how much training you do, or don't have." _Comforting.

Since then, he's been putting in his hard share. A bruise would heal, and his sister would replace it with a new one. Lilianna was hard, but she was kind as well. She knew what was a priority, so even though he needed to be trained in some tricks for the plays and such, she always spent more time on his defensive training then she did on his performing arts. Within a month, he could hold a sword properly, and defend himself against basic attacks.

"Your better with a dual sword... like me. Good, because I'll be able to teach you more with a dual then a long sword." Lili mused admiring his stance with the dual blade. "Perfect posture. You've come along way in three months. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you?" Ovid questioned dropping the stance and held his swords in his hands, both swords pointed toward the ground, one behind him, one just beside him.

"You have to remember though, the dual sword is the hardest to learn, but the easiest for intimidation. Thieves are scared of those who can wield a dual sword. They can pretend, but in the long run, they make many mistakes that I can teach you to catch." Out of the blue Lili sprung a thrusting strike toward Ovid who blocked it with the sword pointed toward the ground. Using the momentum from swinging the sword, Ovid swung around the second sword so that he was standing with his left arm out, sword pointing toward his sisters chest, the other sword pointed toward the ground again.

"Not the best way I would have done it, but it works. Nice added flair." Lili nodded

"Flair is good?" Ovid questioned, dropping the swords down in a relaxed state.

"Flair is amazing. Caravan only. But sometimes, you can use added flair to your advantage. Like for example, you could have keep spinning, and have the second sword pointing at my chest instead."

"Where did you guys learn these?"

"Stole it from the thief's, and made it better." Lili laughed placing a big grin on her face. "We have a lot of fighting techniques that we took from watching thief's. Then we made them our own."

"I see. What about the fighting style of the knight?"

"We got those too. That's how we made the thief's moves better. We took their sloppy moves and refined them using the moves that we learned from the best."

"You can do that?" Ovid looked up at her and raised his eye brows.

"Yes and no."

"Yes and no?"

"Another lesson about the caravan, sometimes, we have to be thief's, to beat the thief's."

"You stole some techniques?" Ovid was starting to get hysterical

"Yes and no."

"Whats with the mystery answers?"

"Some Kings allowed us to watched knights in training. Its not my fault that a couple of us can mimic what they have seen"

"You copied it?"

"Yes. We can watch it and teach it to ourselves, once we got it, we teach others. I'm learning how to belly dance just by watching mom. Your learning swordplay by watching me. Its usually dad who does the figuring out. Or he convinces the knights to show him."

"But you can't do that!" Ovid was stunned

"Sir Theodore showed us some things. Corrected some of our stances, fixed a couple of errors. Sometimes that's all it is." Lili smiled clearly comfortable with the idea, Ovid wasn't convinced.

"But wont you get in trouble?"

"For what? Learning how to defend our self?"

Ovid just looked at her... confusion on his face. "I don't understand..."

"Didn't Jane once try to show you how to defend yourself?" Lili was starting to loose her smile, irritation playing her face.

"Yeah. But I didn't take the lesson."

"Then that's your problem." Lili looked at him sternly. "Drop your swords time you learned how to twirl ribbon."

"But that's girly."

"Live with it."

* * *

Later on that night Ovid got a break from training as Lili had to help make dinner, and dinner had to be eaten.

"What have you learned today?" Dario asked looking at his son while he grabbed some of the roasted deer.

"That I look like flailing monkey with ribbon." Ovid sighed and started to pick at his deer. It may have been three months, but he still was not used to the food that the caravan hunted. It may have been fresh, but it was just a touch different. Lately he had been living on any vegetables and fruits, staying away from the deer. Tonight though, his sister was not relenting.

"Well you did, and your eating your meat, Your training will not be done until I say you can save your own butt."

"That's my girl." Dario beamed over to his daughter, then threw an even bigger grin at his son. "I'm proud of both of you."

At that exact moment, Clara wandered into the firelight with a plate full of more deer, "I know you guys are hungry, you had to hunt for the next week, plus get food for the animals."

"And training, don't forget training mother." Ovid looked up at her with a hopeful look

"Sweety, I'll always be proud of you. Your putting up with your sister. She's tough." Clara smiled as she placed the meat on the ground, "Now don't let the ants get to that, or your going to have a double meal tonight." Clara stood up and ruffled his hair, "OH! That reminds me, don't go into caravan three."

"Why not?" Ovid asked

"It's private."

Ovid looked around as everybody continued to eat like nothing was happening. When Lilianne was done, she got up and left the firelight heading toward were they had trained that morning. Shovelling in what was left on his plate, Ovid excused himself, and followed his twin into the wood.

"You want to know why nobody made a joke, a comment, smirk, nothing when mom came in to tell us that somebody was doing the deed. Don't you?" Lili hadn't even turned around to look at him, to see who it was. She just knew.

"Yeah, it was strange. Usually people start to jeer." Ovid was confused, "Even mom looked sad... It's not something to be sad about."

"Come sit" Lilianna pointed to the ground beside her and sat down right where she was, the moon being the only light telling him where she was, her long hair blowing in the gentle breeze that had started.

When Ovid sat down in front of her, Lilianna started.

"According to mom, we used to jeer, laugh and make fun of it. But only for a little while, then it would stop."

"What happened?"

"Marcilo"

"Who?" Ovid could see tears forming in Lilis eyes. So he put his hands on hers, and action that calmed both of them.

"Marcilo." Lili took a deep breath in, "About fifteen years ago, grandfather Gianni didn't have enough people to run his caravan smoothly enough. There was only him, grandma, grandpa Enzo, Grandma Penelope, mom, dad, and Sera.

Upon consulting the family grandfather Gianni decided to hire three new people. Marcilo, Kera, and Theo. Kera and Theo where newly-weds who where planning to start a family, and with permission of grandfather, they started to try. Well Marcilo found out and taunted them for it. Told them that it was disgusting, a crime against nature, sick. Kera took it personally and refused to try again. Luckily, she got pregnant in that first attempt. The caravan was ecstatic for her, a new baby on the way, plus mother was also pregnant, it was a joyful time." Lili stopped to wipe some tears off her face then took hold of Ovid s hands again. "Well, Marcilo found out and told both mom and Kera that they where freaks. Disgusting creatures that carried monsters. Kera tried to convince him that it was amazing thing that she was expecting a baby. Marcilo was not convinced. Mom was unfazed by him, told him he was messed up in the head and to stay far away from her, Kera, and the caravan. Grandfather agreed. So he left.

Kera became relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of becoming a mother, mother joining her in the joy, both woman where glowing. About eight moths later, two months after we where born, Marcilo came back. Kera was almost ready for birth, and was larger. Not as large as mom was for us," They both laughed at this, "But large enough."

"Well, Marcilo had a hay day, criticized mom for being possessed by the devil for having twins, mom wouldn't budge, she's a rock that one. But Kera was not. She overheard what he said to mom, and left. It was Theo who found her about a hour later. But was too late." Lili stopped there, the tears flowing freely.

"What happened?" Ovid was confused, how was Theo too late.

"She had committed suicide." A gruff voice answered from the shadows, Ovid turned his head to see his grandfather Enzo walk into the moonlight and sit down beside both Lili and Ovid. "She had walked into the woods and killed herself. It was only the quick thinking of your mother that saved the baby. Quickly sliced open Kera stomach and pulled him out that way. Never would have thought of it, but just out of the blue, your mom was there and next thing I knew, I was holding a bloody baby boy."

"She was buried in the closest town where Theo ended up staying to raise little Luke" Lili sniffed "Because of it, grandpa banned it from the caravan."

"What happened to Marcilo?" Ovid asked.

"You don't want to know. All I can say, is that he is lucky he is still alive." Enzo spit towards the tree "Now come on kids. Your mom managed to make some dessert, and I know You want a piece of that."

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**I got it! Holy crow! **

**I'm so excited! I got it done. :) **

**If you are wondering, I do plan for you to fully meet Theo and Little Luke. (Well not so Little anymore) I wont say when though. :P **

**Chapter 9 is in a working progress, and hopefully, I can get chapter 10 done as well. **

**Please review! :) **


	9. Chapter 9, Leonardo

**Here we go! Chapter 9! **

**It's another Jane POV chapter, but it probably wont be very long as I originally had the story planned and written out from Jester's POV only. After I started writing it out though, Janes POV just kinda slid in there. So there wont be many Jane chapters after this one, but I will try to keep you updated as to how Jane is handling things without Jester. **

**Thank you everybody who reviewed! :D **

**Thanks to Shay-na-na, you have never failed to review any of my chapters, it makes me super happy. :) **

**Also thanks to CreCre who mentioned that a move I had in chapter 8 was similar to another author. :O I didn't realize it, so thank you so much for mentioning it. Hopefully, my changes are alright. If not, please, please, please tell me! **

**Also, thank you so much for all your patience! I just started University in September, so I'm still getting used to that... I will write in between studying for my tests though! :) **

**I don't own Jane and the Dragon. **

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Chapter 9

Leonardo

"I can juggle... I swear." Leonardo said looking at the girls through his lashes.

"Woman do that." Jane said, boredom strong in her voice as Pepper giggled under her breath.

"So your saying that it didn't work?"

"Bingo." Jane looked toward Pepper who had started to turn red in the face and shaking with the laughter that she was clearly trying to hold in, and failing, "do you have something to say Pepper?"

"Nope" She squeaked letting out a laugh in the process. "Nothing, nothing at all."

"Then what is so funny?" Jane raised an eyebrow at her female friend

"The fact that he thought it would attract us to look through his lashes when he doesn't have any." Pepper squealed, the laughter boiling over and causing her to fall onto the ground.

"I have lashes!" Leonardo defended, "I have amazing lashes."

"Maybe to a pear." Jane replied getting up from the bench she was sitting on, "Besides, Jester warned me you liked to chase skirts."

"He did not" Leonardo challenged, "He didn't say anything to you. I know he didn't"

"What makes you say that?" Jane questioned as she helped up a giggling cook off the ground and wiping her off.

"Because you just met me a couple months ago."

It was true. For the first three months after Jester left, the King had made Leonardo go off and learn some ballads by heart, so he was always in the library learning all he could as fast as he could before the King decided to quiz him on what he knew. Two months ago however, the King had banned Leo from the Library as he had tried to seduce the librarian who had informed the King. Since then, he has been relentless in trying to seduce Pepper and Jane, something he was constantly failing as Pepper thought all his attempts were amusing, and Jane couldn't care less about the man.

Jane would admit though, he was a fine looking man, only because you could tell he was related to Jester in some way. She's not a hundred percent sure how, but he was. He had that same lighter shade of hair, a light brown. Blue eyes though. But some features where very similar, how the eyes are shaped, and the height. Biggest difference that she noticed though was the fact that Leo was more built then Jester was. That had to be because of the fact that the man could actually pick up and hold a sword.

"I have a strange question for you then." Jane asked Leo looking at him with a neutral face.

"Whats that honeydew?" Leo asked putting his hands on his hips and pushing his chest out.

"How are you related to Jester?" Jane asked, poking him hard in the chest so that he bent down rubbing at where Jane jabbed him.

"Why do you want to know?"

"You look familiar. Why?"

"My father is Jesters mothers, younger brother." Leo smirked at Jane, "So now you interested in me?"

"Not. A. Chance." Jane took a deep breath to relax, "So your his cousin?"

"Didn't I just say that?" Leo was starting to look confused.

"Yes, you did. In a very round-a-bout way." Jane looked toward the ground, "What do you know about him?"

"And I'll take this as my cue to leave." Pepper squeaked turning around and walking toward the kitchen, still giggling under her breath.

"What do you mean? What do I know about him?" Leonardo was looking at Jane with a suspicious look, "What if I don't know anything?"

"You have to know something." Jane was starting to panic, "Why hasn't he written to me for five months? It's been five months, and I've heard nothing."

"Whoa! Calm down!" Leo stood back with his hands in the air as Jane was starting to get hysterical, "The family were heading back to Italy, if he wrote, it would take at least five months to get here."

"So they arrived in Italy?"

"How would I know? Doubtful. But if they headed straight there without any stops, they should be fairly close by now... took us almost a year to get here."

Jane was shocked, Italy, you couldn't get Jester much farther from her. Why she cared though was beyond her. She had to be strong. She's going to be a knight, knights didn't worry about small things. It's not like he was her husband or something.

"Does he usually write?" Jane asked looking at Leo with a sadness in her eyes.

"Usually. Sometimes. We got a letter about once a year or two years. But usually it was just little rumours from passing by messengers."

"A year?" Jane looked perplexed "I'll thirteen then"

"Oh whaaa... This is his mother..." Leo looked at Jane, "If he barley wrote to his mom, I doubt he will write to you. Now... Jester is out of the way, I look kinda like him, you look like you need a man..." Leo's sentence was cut short with Jane slapping him hard across his left cheek, the resounding crack brought Pepper out of the kitchen faster then a bird in lift off.

"What happened?" Pepper said, shell-shocked, the flour in her hair still settling on the ground.

"She smacked me!" Leo shouted, "all I was, was being nice to her, and she slapped me!" Leo raised his hands in the air and stormed off in the direction of his room. The one that used to be Jesters.

"Pepper? What wrong with me? Why do I miss Jester so much?" Jane keeled down on the ground and started to sob, "It hurts how much I miss him."

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**I know this is a really short chapter, But I just wanted you all the officially meet Leonardo, the womanizer. (Not the first time hes been smacked. :P ) **


	10. Chapter 10, A toast!

**OH MY GOD! It's been so long since my last update! I'm soooo sorry! :(**

**I'll blame school, I've been having a test a week for the last few weeks and I've got another one coming up soon. :P (Good old school.) **

**I'm writing this chapter in between tests, hopefully all you guys are not too upset with me... **

**My last chapter was mostly to introduce Leo, my skirt chaser. :P It also hopefully showed Jane's feelings for Jester. **

**I don't own Jane and the Dragon... **

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Chapter 10

A Toast!

The rain was falling down into the small little clearing where the three caravans where camping, their deep green coverings blending them into the foliage around them. The sky lighting up with the bright flash of lightning closely followed by the earth rumbling crack of thunder that woke up the young man with grey-blue eyes. Beside him on the large mattress that was placed in the back of the caravan on the floor slept his twin sister, her light brown hair covering some of her face, her breathing light. Ovid smiled as she rolled over and placed her head against his right shoulder and kept sleeping like nothing happened. To his left laid his mother who was also awake and watching him from the corner of her eyes. His father was not in the caravan.

That was one of the few disadvantages that Ovid had to get used to when he first came back to the gypsies, families had to share the bed.

"The thunder woke you up as well sweety?" His mother whispered not wanting to wake her daughter.

"I think so, or my wonderful niece..." The two laughed under their breath as at that exact moment, Viola decided her uncles chest would make the perfect pillow, normally she slept on a smaller mattress on the floor beside them.

"I'm surprised that Lilli had not awoken, you know how much she dislikes storms."

His mother nodded at the comment, sighing at the next loud rolling wave or thunder that shone into the caravan.

"And your father decided it was the perfect time to hunt, something about how all the animals would be hiding from the storm. That crazy old man."

Ovid laughed, his grandfather and father did have some strange ideas sometimes.

"I suppose it could be worse, he has decided one time that it would be a good idea to give Sera some ale right after she had finished giving birth to Viola." She sighed, "something about wanting to celebrate the occasion."

Sera was Ovid's and Lillianne's older sister, and the mother to Viola, who was still sound asleep on Ovid's chest, thumb in her mouth. He couldn't remember much about his older sister, as he was seven when his family had left him in the care of King Caradoc for the lack of anything else to teach him. Which he found odd as he was being taught tons of things since he came back.

"She had passed away after Viola was born, right mum?" Ovid looked over at his mom who was admiring Viola

"Yes. Child birth. She had been so pale and tired." The sad look on her face told the story, Sera had tried to fight it, but didn't make it through the night. "She was holding Viola. Had such a serene look upon her face. Your father even cried. And he's only cried twice."

"Twice?" Ovid looked toward his niece, if the painting was any consolation, his little drooly niece of four looked very much like her mother. With the same pale features and slender profile the whole family seemed to have. The biggest difference was her eyes, instead of the greyish-blue hers where a striking shade of deep blue. So deep they almost had a purple tinge to them. According to his grandmother Penelope, the fathers eyes where a beautiful shade of deep blue. The father has never been found since Viola was born, Ovid's father said it was good, as he would be dead if he showed his face around the caravan. Yet, nobody would explain why that was.

"The second time was when we left you at the castle." The thunder cracked at its loudest shaking the caravan and waking both Lilli and Viola.

* * *

The next morning the air was fresh and cool, some trees where split in half, others laying on the ground. Birds where singing in the trees that were still standing tall and proud, while smaller animals where running all over the smaller, knocked down trees. Some of the bigger gypsies were moving trees out of the way and getting the animals prepared to continue their journey.

According to Dario, they where on the border of Italy... Almost home.

Ovid stepped out into the morning light, the air was crisp, cool and calm. The sun had not quite broken through the clouds that just barely lingered behind, white, fluffy, and gently floating past, as harmless as a butterfly.

"Ugh! Why does it always have to be so beautiful out the next day after a storm?" Lillianne had wandered out of the caravan, her darker blue-grey eyes slightly bloodshot and drooping.

"Its not always nice after a storm... Sometimes, its still a little ugly out."

"Shut it Ovid. You're not helping."

"Now tell me how I'm not helping?" Ovid was looking down at his sister who had struggled her way down to the dewy grass at the bottom of the caravans steps then sat down getting the bottom of her pants all wet. "I'm waiting for an answer."

"You're growing an attitude..." Lilli huffed, pulling a dagger out of the folds of her tunic.

"And that's a problem?" The male twin crouched down so that he was just barely looking at the top of his sisters head, the light brown of her hair showing through in the blinding glow of both blonds.

"Not if you don't want it to be."

Reaching down and plucking the dagger out of Lilli's hands, Ovid stretched out a foot and slid his way down to the ground beside his twin. He had gained some more muscle since he left the castle a year ago, also gained a bit of colour and had a bronzed glow about his skin, just a touch lighter then his sisters.

"The weather is beautiful." He swiped a strand of hair out of his eyes, "Besides dad said today was a special day for both of us and the rest of the caravan."

"Your lucky I'm your sister..."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Resting down beside her, he lifted up his right knee and rested his arm on it, the dagger still in his hand in a loose, but deadly position, facing toward the ground.

"Your acting is getting much better. People would think we were courting or something."

"Nah. Its too relaxed. Besides, I'm not acting... If I were acting, you would be blushing."

"Is that so?" She turned her tired eyes toward her brother who was looking at her from just under his lashes, his hair falling gently in his eyes, shading him from the sun that had just peeked out from the small cloud in the sky. His arm just resting on his knee which he had raised up, his left foot folding under the bend, the dagger still in his hand. He looked both deadly, yet calm. Lilli blushed.

"Bastard."

"I'm loved for it." He smiled, a bit lopsided, but cute. It had only added to his charm.

"Your going to charm the skirt off of some lady if you keep that up."

"Am I now?" Ovid relaxed and laughed. "Good, because there is a girl I want to charm."

"The lady-knight in training?" Lilli shot him a look that screamed 'I'm right and you know it.'

"Yes." Ovid didn't even looked surprised that his sister knew. She was his twin sister after all, and the two of them where exceptionally close. So close his father sometimes voiced out that it was unnatural for siblings not to fight. Yes, they had their heated disagreements, or Lilli would get frustrated with him and call him some interesting names. But they never drew blood. A bruise here or there did occur quite often, more so when Ovid first came back to the caravan and was still as thin as a twig.

A year ago, picking up and properly using a sword, let alone any weapon, was like watching a young child swing a stick around. The movements uncoordinated and clumsy. But now, he could use two swords at the same time, and make it look easy, throw a dagger with deadly accuracy (something that Lilli ingrained into him as she wanted something they where both good at, to hold the stereotype that twins where very similar), and entertain a crowd with his song and dance.

"I've been trying for years to get her to notice me, but she has always just looked at me like a good friend." Ovid looked down at the wet grass and sighed, "I guess I'm just doing it wrong or something."

"No, she is just dumb."

"What a harsh thing to say!"

"Not really." Lilli put her hand on his cheek, "I'm only saying that because your such a nice guy. If she isn't attracted to you then something is not right with her. You did almost everything you could, and you can't do anything about the results of it."

"I guess." Looking around he stood up and pulled his sister up after him, "Wait... What did you mean by 'almost' everything?"

"You still have to see her again after growing up."

...0

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

How was it that those two words could echo through the whole woods and scare the birds, who went flying off in fear, Ovid will never understand. He knew it was the pure volume of his fathers voice, but how he could get that loud was another story.

After there little talk, Lilli had wished him a happy birthday, then stumbled back into the caravan to get some more sleep. It had appeared as though a lot of the caravan folk where thinking the same thing, as they stayed in the same spot for the day, something that does not usually happen. It was also the twins birthday, and his father insisted on a party. So of course they spent most of the day preparing for that, and the moment nightfall hit, the fire was started and the music and dancing begun.

The twins where turning fifteen, and the whole caravan was excited that both of them where there this year and not just the one. So the festivities where a little over the top as Ovid and Lilli's father cracked out the instruments that they use during a play. So of course the entire caravan were celebrating and being, well loud. Something that was usually not allowed as it would attract thieves and bandits.

"Happy Birthday!" Dario shouted wrapping his arms around both of his kids and pushing them together in a giant bear hug. "You better enjoy the party because it probably wont happen again."

"Humpf?" Ovid questioned into his father armpit, his airways starting to be impacted.

"Yesh, whafth mmm oouu humpfing aboooat?"Lilli asked her face crammed into their fathers other armpit.

"What are either of you saying?" Dario let go of the twins and looked at them with curiosity and gleam

"I said." Ovid took a breath "Huh."

"Just huh?"

"Just huh." He grinned, "why might we not get another one?"

Even though Ovid knew exactly why there where not many parties, it was always fun to ask his dad really dumb questions as the larger man would be stunned for about thirty seconds then mumble incoherently for about ten before clearing his throat and actually answering. Lilli had told him one time that dumb questions throw off their father because he had to wrap his head around the idea that such a dumb question could come out of somebodies mouth.

"Whhaaa?" It had begun, with the twin giggling at their fathers face as he just stared.

"I... um, what?" Head scratch "You wanna know? Huh... Well uh. Heh... Bandits." Dario stopped to regain his posture. "Because of bandits you knuckle head."

"Why didn't you say that to begin with?" Lilli asked, with a gleam in her eyes

"Clara!" Dario shouted while walking away, "The kids are making fun of me again!"

"Well you make it so easy!"

"I do no..."

There was a signal from Gianni, the leader of the gypsies and the grandfather to Lillianne and Ovid and father to Clara, the twins mother. It was a swift signal, but effective. All he did was raise his hand with the index finger pointing to the sky, it wasn't above his head, just in front like he was telling the person he was talking to 'one second', but it did its job, the clearing went silent. All Ovid could hear was his sister breathing beside him, and the wind rustling through the trees. The fire was soon put out, and the sizzling could be heard above the trees, a bellow of dark grey smoke floating to the sky, marking where they were. There where a couple of sounds of people unsheathing swords, Ovid grandmother grabbing the bow and arrows out of the caravan farthest away from him, and his mother taking Viola into the caravan they had stayed in the night before just about ten feet away from where he stood. Lilli had pulled out a couple of her daggers and nudged him to do the same. His left hand went to his waist, where one of the three daggers he had to carry on him at all times was sheathed and gave it a gentle tug, just enough to loosen it in the sheath, he wouldn't take it out just yet.

Slowly Ovid moved his foot feeling for the soft push of his second dagger that was strapped just inside of his right boot, made just loose enough that he could hide it there by strapping it onto his leg, but tight enough that they would not fall off, they where made of a dark bear hide that his father had killed shortly after he rejoined the gypsies, and the thigh high boots where then crafted for him in the nearest town. His third and final dagger he had strapped onto his upper arm, so that even if he decided to take his shirt off, which he had that night, it would still be there.

Lilli had already unsheathed the dagger that hung around her waist and was staring off into the woods, a look of pure determination on her face, her left hand rested on her breast where she had hid the second dagger that afternoon in the folds that protected them from bouncing too much. Her third dagger was also hiding inside one of her boots, she always alternated so that it was a surprise where the dagger would come from if she used the other two.

The woods became silent, and nobody dared to move or breathe, not really sure what it was that Gianni heard. It could have been just a bird, or maybe a bear ambling through, or it could also be thieves trying to get the advantage of sneaking through the forest. Usually if it was thieves, the caravan had an advantage as they also had to think like thieves to survive, some of the weapons in their possession where stolen from various places, then changed usually by repairing the blade, or removing any unique features so that they couldn't be recognized.

Time dragged as the twenty or so people all stood in silence waiting for Gianni to relax and laugh it off as his old age. But the laugh never came. It was an ambush.

...0.0.0

It started as a crack of a tree branch and Gianni rose up and spun around slowly moving back until somebody handed him one of the training staves used to practice with. In anybody ease's hand it would have been laughable, but in his grandfathers hands he knew damage would be dealt. His other grandfather stood just in front of him, his right hand just behind his back with the palm facing the twins, and the fingers spread wide. Ovid had surprisingly never been in an ambush, or even a fight for that matter against somebody that was trying to kill him, so he wasn't sure what to make of the gesture.

"When grandpa closes his hand, that's when you attack." Lilli whispered still looking into the dense woods where the tree cracking sounds were heard. "Grandma Penelope and Rhonda will light torches soon so we can see where everybody is."

"And go for the kill" Came the gruff whisper from his grandfather in front of him, "Don't let the bastard live unless you're going to take him as a prisoner, or else they will come back. And they will have the knowledge of how we fight."

"Avoid that at all costs" Ovid grandmother Rhonda walked up behind him, a lit torch in her hand, his other grandmother not far off light a couple along the walls of the caravan creating a soft glow just bright enough to see shapes.

"Also." Lilli looked in his direction, "Try not to get killed. Injured is fine, its unavoidable. But you can avoid death."

"Listen to the commands of myself or your other grandfather, and that includes any order to retreat." His grandfather grunted, "and we will only retreat if all hope is lost, or if many men are down. Besides your sister, usually its only men who are trained with weapons, so there is not many of us."

"Why just you?" Ovid whispered at his sister fear starting to creep into his voice, his body already frozen with fear.

"Because I told dad if he signed those papers and left you at that damned castle I'd throw a dagger at him."

"You did, didn't you?"

"The man's got a scar on his back to prove it." Enzo laughed under his breath. "Then Lilli said he was lucky that he was her father or else she would have hit his head. With that kind of skill, we had to train her."

"So want about me?"

"You have a stick growing out from between your legs. Just because of that, you are trained." Lilli laughed, then fell silent as Enzo shushed them, his hand shaking behind his back.

The first guy had emerged from the trees, his hair matted, and straggly, and his teeth black and falling out. The mismatched swords had seen better days, but looked strong enough to last him one more night.

"Ohhhhhh... What a lovely prize we've walked into boys." His voice deep, and stringy. A hissing sound coming from the back his throat. "There is even a lovely little girl who thinks she can fight us. She will make a fine source of pleasure before I kill her."

"Rapist."Enzo whispered, "Rhonda, get into one of the caravans. Get the other women to go with you, and stay there. Lilli, take the bow and arrows from your grandmother. I want you to stay as far away as you can while still hitting them with arrows." Both women nodded in response then went into action, Lilli disappearing from Ovid's sight.

"Ovidius." Gianni called out. "Keep an eye on your sister. Do everything in your power to make sure she is safe." He nodded and ran off towards Lilli behind the caravans the moment Enzo had closed his hands.

The moment Ovid got behind the caravan with his sister there was a shout of fury from the rapist and many more yells as the trees exploded with about ten men, all running into the light of the dimly lit clearance. Some falling to their deaths the moment they entered the clearing, eating the metal of the blades from the first few men, others bring up their swords for a fight.

"I'm going to sit on top of the caravan and start shooting off arrows, you stay in front but underneath and block anybody from getting up." Lilli commanded already half way up the side of the caravan.

"What about the back?" Ovid question taking out the dagger from his waist and looking up at his sister.

"I'll warn you in advance. I will be able to see all around."

"Okay." Ovid gave her the thumbs up. "Oh, and next time you may want to climb up before talking to a guy, I could see your under garments." Ovid was answered with a rock falling on his head and a laugh.

"Come out, come out where ever you are." Came a snot filled voice from behind Ovid. "Ah, there you are pretty."

"Pretty?" Ovid turned around and faced him, "I'm not very pretty..."

"Wha?" The man never had a chance to recover from the shock of calling a male pretty before an arrow punctured through the top of his head, a direct hit from the girl above. Ovid looked away as the blood splattered his upper torso.

"We will need a bath after this!" Lilii shouted down, "A very long bath." She had just rested the bow down on the roof of the caravan and peered over to examine her brother, using the boxes of props on the top for cover. "Just make sure none of it gets into your mouth!"

"Got it!" Ovid shouted back, wiping away any blood off his face. Shivers raking his body at the shock of what just occurred.

Walking around the large mass of the caravan, Ovid looked up to see that the bull had been killed, and one of the horses where injured. Blood was soaking the ground and bodies where starting to litter it. To his left, the dirty matted hair leader of the thieves came running up towards him. Ovid stumbled over himself, and took a quick look up at his sister. She was busy trying to protect their father who had three guys surrounding him. Holding up his dagger, Ovid looked straight into the man and froze. Murder was in his eyes.

"Oh shit."

Knocking out the dagger from his hands, the man smiled showing off his blackened teeth.

"New to fighting are you? Too bad you wont live to see another day, and learn from this experience."

With that the man swung his sword and sliced Ovid through the chest pushing him back onto the ground, a deep bloody line marking the spot where the tip of the blade made contact with flesh.

"Ovid!" Lilli screamed from the top of the caravan "Get up man! Please!"

Rolling over onto his knees and elbows Ovid took a quick look around to see if he could find his dagger, using the mans cruel laughter as extra time to get up. With out any luck, he picked up the one thing that he could find. A wooden mug that somebody dropped when the warning first went out. Picking it up he took a couple of breaths before lifting himself unsteadily to his feet.

"Hah! A cup? You want to make a toast to your last living day?" The man jeered his laughing turning into a grin.

"Not sure yet... But maybe this will work." Putting his hand between the handle of the cup and the actual cup, Ovid made sure he had a solid grip before quickly spinning around bringing his arm from behind and hitting the grinning man square in the temple with enough force to break the cup in half. A resounding "thunk" noise echoed through the clearing and trees.

With blood leaking profusely from the side of his head, the man fell to the ground, a look of pure surprise on his face. He was dead. Killed instantly by the force of the cup hitting him.

"Oh. By. The. Heavens. Ovid." Lilli whispered sliding down from the roof of the caravan where she had been perched. "You just killed a man. Your very first kill. And it was with a wooden mug."

* * *

**Whoo! That's a long one! Hopefully its worth the wait. :)**

**Again I'm sorry that It took so long to update, hopefully the next one will be a lot quicker. Plus my term is almost over so Ill be able to put one up through December. That's a promise. :D**


	11. Chapter 11, My fair Maiden

**Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter up! Its been so busy for me lately, especially with starting my second term in University. Hopefully though now that I'm all organized, Ill be able to put up another chapter in a half decent time. **

**I'm so sorry!**

**Disclamier is still the same. Totally has not changed. **

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**My fair Maiden**

She had awoken to the sunlight shining into her face, the red glow in her eyelids forced her to roll over in her bed before opening them to free her forest green eyes to the world. Or more specifically, her wall. It hasn't changed since he left, more then two years ago. The grey stone unrelenting to anything she did. She tried to cover it with a picture, but it fell down two days later, so she moved her armour to hide it, but that too fell over so she was forced to move it back.

"I must be crazy." she whispered to herself rubbing her eyes while getting up out of her warm bed, the quilt rolling off onto the floor, forcing a hand to follow it and toss it back onto the plain straw filled mattress. The King had found out that cotton was growing not far from his castle, and shortly after that realized that it made a better mattress. It was a pure accident that it was found. Princess Lavinia had leaped into the pile of cotton bags that had just arrive from the merchant, and fell asleep right where she lay.

"It was one silly dream..." Jane yawned as she walked over to her dresser getting ready for the day. It was a couple weeks ago when she had the dream. It was so real, his skin soft under her fingers, his hair smelling fresh and clean, his grey-blue eyes watching her with humour as she explored his well muscular body. Well she thought he would have a muscular body.

When she had rolled over she was meet with the unrelenting, grey stone that made up her wall.

"Stupid man! Taking up my dreams!" Jane ran her hands down her body and stopped when they hit her waist, or the curve of it anyway. "Cursed hips..." That was not all that changed in the two years, Jane had grown and started becoming a fine woman, rather then a child. Her flat boxy like appearance was slowly melting away into a more curved and softer figure, one that she despised as it made men drool. Walking over to the mirror Jane decided to admire herself naked just in case something else changed.

She had grown taller, not to much but her legs where definitely longer and leaner. The muscle rippled as she moved them to see all angles of her calves and thighs. "Normal, no changes there. Yet" She continued up to the roundness of her buttock. It was... "Lush. Round and lush, as my mother would put it. A butt she would die for." Turning around she noticed the fine layer of red hair that had been growing in between her legs, something she made sure she kept trim and neat. "Damn bleed." Looking up onto her lower section of her stomach she saw the little blob of fat that she could not for the life of her get rid of. It added to the beauty of her body, but it annoyed Jane to no end as she gave the fat a pinch. "Belly fat. Not as much as yesterday, but still always there." She then moved her eyes up to her breasts, something that had grown quite fast, but she could easily tell they were no where near done. Not small little bumps anymore, but stuck out of her like little triangles. There was no softness to them, or roundness. Just to sharply pointed lumps on her chest. Sighing Jane looked up at last to her face. The childhood roundness had started to disappear, and a more mature gleam started to show in her eyes, the green sparkling in the light from her window.

Groaning to herself, Jane left the mirror and walked over to the dresser where her clothes lay. First she placed on her undergarments, then took a long band of cloth and wrapped the triangular lumps on her chest, bounding them. "There. That should stop you from growing." After binding them, she put on the rest of her clothes. Her style never changed from when she was a young girl the same yellow and orange checkered tights, followed by the red skirt with purple trim. The metal, fish-scaled styled armour on the side of her thighs. Next she slipped on an orange t-shirt over her curly red hair, and a yellow vest like shirt over top of that. Putting on her simple shoes, Jane ran a comb though her hair, and wondered out of her bedroom.

* * *

The kitchens where warm when Jane wandered down in the lower part of the castle, Pepper madly stirring whatever was in the pot over top of the fire in the mantle. The smell of oatmeal was strong in the air, but Jane thought the well developed woman in front of her was stirring a little quicker then was needed for oatmeal.

"What are you making Pepper?" The red-haired teen asked

"Hmmmm?" Jane repeated her question to the pale dark haired teen. "Oh? This?" Pepper sighed allowing her ladle to settle in the large brass pot turning around to face her friend. "Its that swamp soup that Dragon likes so much." The cook wondered over to the counter and started chopping up cabbage, her long braid bouncing back and forth with the movement of the moving knife, her bust jiggling like jello.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Jane questioned as she looked at her friend's chest and the strange motion that it was doing.

"Doesn't what hurt?" Pepper chirped, her voice sounded confused while she scraped the cabbage into a bowl.

"The lumps on your chest are bouncing. Doesn't it hurt?" Pepper laughed at the question, the sound echoing through the dark kitchen.

"Not if your wrap them right. I made the mistake of not wrapping them, and ran outside. That hurt. But usually, you forget about it."

"Forget about it? They are lumps, men goggle and drool over them, how can you just forget about them?"

"You just do." Pepper looked up and smiled sadly to her red-headed friend walking back over to the pot and dumping in the chopped up cabbage. "Lucky this doesn't smell bad. If your hungry Jane I have oatmeal prepared for you already, it should be on the table in front of you."

And indeed there was. A small wooden bowl with some warmed oats sat steaming on the table in front of Jane, some milk sitting in a cup next to it, and a bit of cream on the other side. Brown sugar had been sprinkled on top already, a spoon resting neatly on the right side. "You spoil me Pepper. But im grateful for it."

"your most welcome." Her pale skinned friend beamed from her boiling pot as the taller girl sat down and poured the cream into the bowl before stirring and and spooning it into her mouth.

"And always very delectable. Your cooking has improved greatly!" Jane smiled before helping herself to more from her bowl.

"Thank you." Pepper sighed and stirred her goopy mess. It was going to be a pain to clean out the pot later, but Dragon really enjoyed it. "You know, if you where to just let me show you how to properly wrap your chest instead of hiding it like your were a boy, you would not have to worry about the pain."

"I don't want them to grow" Jane said into her bowl taking another spoonful, "the idea that men would drool over them disgusts me."

"You wouldn't be saying that if it was Jester drooling over them."

It was the first time in a year that his name had been said, even the King never addressed his new Jester as 'Jester' he always called him Leo, just as his name was. Tears started prickling at Jane's eyes when she looked up at her friend with anger, who looked straight back. An unforgiving look dead set on her features.

"How dare you say his name. I thought you were my friend?"

"I thought you were smarter then that Jane." The smaller woman pulled the pot away from the heat then looked back at her friend, "Nobody has used the name because of the pain it causes you. But you have to remember Jane. Its. Not. His. Name." She had a point. And the cook knew it, her smug look said so.

"Not his name or not, its still him." Jane pouted into her oatmeal "Besides, hes forgotten about us."

"Now what in your right mind would make you say that?" Pepper asked, pouring the swamp soup into a smaller bowl to place by the window.

"I haven't heard from him in two years. Two. Years!"

Pepper walked up to her friend and wiped away the tears that had fallen past her lids and down her cheeks. The salty wetness leaving a wet trail down the fair cheeks of the red haired maiden.

"I'm sure he has more then a good enough reason to have not written."

Jane sniffled and looked up at the pale skin of her friend and smiled. "He has kept in touch with me I guess."

"What do you mean?"

Jane touched a hand to her cheek, "he kissed me the day he left. Just a little peck on the cheek just before he put the first letter on my pillow."

"I still don't understand." Pepper sighed and took the swamp bowl to the window so Dragon could smell that it was done.

"My cheek is burning just thinking about him, but I get this feeling sometimes that something was not right..."

"OH!" Pepper squealed jumping on her toes before pulling Jane out from the table where her empty bowl sat, "I get those feelings about Rake! This means you have a connection to him, I see love in the air."

Jane allowed herself to be pulled out of her seat in an awkward way as she was sitting at a picnic styled seat, and walked into the main part of the kitchen where Pepper started to twirl her around by her hand, while humming a slow tune to herself.

"Shouldn't you be cooking breakfast Pepper?" Jane questioned, a smile on her face.

"Only if you help me."

"Okay, okay. Ill help"

* * *

"The family says his injuries are extensive, but should survive through them."

"How extensive?" King Caradoc pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb, his eyes closed and facing the floor, his elbow resting on the armrest of his throne. The messenger that was bowed before his majesty was sent to him from Jesters family shortly after they had found a home to stay in after Jester was wounded in the attack.

"They say he's healing well, just a couple of scratches."

"You told me that his mother was worried about a cut on his chest."

"Yes, it was inflicted by a sword owned by a bandit. She's hoping that he bled out all the poisons, and her daughter was at his side the moment he hit the ground, said she did some quick cleaning right there."

"Quick cleaning?" The King sighed, he didn't like how this was turning out, if the injuries where severe enough he would have to tell Leo about them, and the replacement Jester was unable to keep his mouth shut, which in turn meant that Jane would find out. Something that would be disastrous, she seemed to have taken a liking to the boy that left more then two years ago.

"She used her under-bindings to try and clean off some of the blood."

"Has he developed an infection?"

The messenger hesitated, the Jesters mother told him that he would have to tell the King about the injuries that were inflicted upon her son, and his achievements as well. The biggest warning the mother had was that the King was very protective of his people and might send somebody to check up on the boy no matter what he said. The messenger, his long blond hair flowing down to his shoulders, although in the kneeling position, it covered his sharp facial features. He had to be cautious as he could not have the king sending a check up, or else he would not paid.

"She would not say."

"Don't lie to me boy." The King looked up and looked down at the small man who was sent with a unfortunate news. "Clara promised me that she would tell me if any serious injuries occurred to my Jester. You had just informed me not long ago that it was bad. So? What is it?"

"She fears he caught a fever from some infection, they are living temporarily in a small cabin owned by a farmer by the name of Theo and his son Luke. That way he is out of the elements and has a better chance of recovery. They have two people skilled in the art of healing, and one in training, plus they are within walking distance to Ardea were they can get any supplies that they might need."

"Ardea?" Caradoc mused over this, "they are quite a distance, you travel quick."

"Six months your majesty. I fear my horse may be tired."

"Yes. Your horse can stay here. I need to see how bad he is. Maybe send some herbs for quick healing..."

"I assure you my lord, he is fine. I can take the herbs back for you if you would like. Clara would be most grateful."

"Ill send Dragon, he could fly over, check up on him and report back to me and take you." The King stood up not hearing what the messenger said. "Its final! I will give you the recommended herbs for the injury and send you back with Dragon, he can check up on his condition and bring him back if he is close to death."

The messenger defeated, bowed his head even lower, then getting up from his sore knee he made eye contact with the King. "Due to my status I can not disobey your orders, please inform me when I will be departing with this 'Dragon' you speak of."

"You and Dragon will leave the moment he comes back and you received the herbs. I also have to convince him to allow you to ride."

The messenger bowed, "Yes, your majesty."

* * *

**So there you have it. They are going to go check on him. **

**Ill make you all a deal, leave me reviews, and I'll write up a new chapter even quicker. No reviews, slower making of the chapter. :P **

**Hopefully school doesn't interfere as much as it did for this chapter. Ah school. **


	12. Chapter 12, Should Never Have Come

**I soo sorry for the gigantic wait!I had written up the next four chapter, (or most of them anyway) But because my laptop is nearing four years of age I backed up all my important documents onto a flashcard. (Yes, all my chapters are on that beautiful flash drive of mine.) and then... *waits for a drum roll* I lost the bloody thing! :( Who does that? Oh wait... Me. As you can see though, I found it! (Well actually my cat did. My grandmother found him playing with it and put it on my bookcase. I gave him lots of treats and loving for it. :) ) So finally I have done my part and uploaded one of these chapters. :) (I found out that I have the timing on the other three as not realistic... (Kuz it takes 6 months to go from Italy to Europe, and it requires going over an ocean... I really need to stop writing when Im tired... So i'm still trying to fix those... my 13 hour days are not helping though... oh well) **

**Well, I've quit my old job, started a new one, and completed pretty much all my placements. Two weeks left, then I can start working! Which means much more time for me, and you wonderful readers! (I do hope I havent lost all of you. :'( I would cry.) So excited! :D **

**Alright, I'll stop my chatting so you can get on with reading... **

**Enjoy the chapters! :) **

**Disclaimer has never changed... Still exactly what it was in the first chapter... **

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Never should have come**

_It was like a flame licking my chest, that's what the pain felt like. When mother said that there were signs of infection and started putting on the herbs to help it heal, that was when the pain almost become unbearable. Lucky for me my sister came up with this amazing plan to have me sleep through most of the major healing. That was just over seven weeks ago. I look down at my chest and it's still wrapped in cloth and painful... Sometimes, if I move in the wrong way, it bleeds again. We had hired a messenger to run over as fast as he could to tell the King that I had received some injuries to my chest. Hopefully he made it there. _

_ During one of my rare moments of alertness I asked my father about how long it would take for him to get there. My father responded in his usual way, "He will get there when he gets there." Not good enough, so with a bit of prying dad said that it should take about a week or two on horseback if he only stops at night to rest and care for the horse. At first I thought it was impossible as it took us two years to make it to where we are now, but then when I actually thought about it, we stopped in pretty much every single town on the way to put on a production in attempt to make a little cash or food. (Granted I wasn't really in any, something about not being ready yet...) With my sister also teaching me how to use the different weapons that the caravan had collected, we stopped in many clearances and stayed for a few days in them to give me a chance to absorb it all. _

_ Ah yes, Lillianna. She's a tough one she is, but she's kind and patient. She made sure I was ready before showing me any of the other weapons. (Yes, me, with weapons. I didn't believe it either.) Lilli said it was mostly for self-defence purposes only. Although she says that, then shows me how to sneak up behind someone and place a dagger to their throat. Granted it is while the person is distracted, but it still tells you something. She had really drilled it into me how to twirl ribbon. How manly. But it looks really cool, and it made me feel better when dad started doing it, then laughed his ass off after. Rule of the ribbon for men? Look like your having a good time, then when nobody can see you, laugh. Make fun of yourself, actually have fun with the idea that your doing one of the most girly things ever, short of wearing a dress and spinning wool._

Nodding, Ovid folded his letter in half then grabbed the dark wooden box that was on the table beside him, placing it onto his lap. Turning slightly to his right with the bed under him creaking, and hissing in discomfort, Ovid went into the simple brown bag Lilli had made for him and pulled out the key. Quickly he unlocked the small box that Clara gave him, put the letter into it closed it up, locked it and placed it back onto the table to his left. Sighing he put his key back into his bag and turned around to see his mother standing at the door.

_ "_What are you up to sweetie?" She asked a gentle smile on her face.

"Just writing. What are you up to mother?" Ovid asked gently lifting himself out of his bed and wandered over to the older woman.

"Oh, nothing much." Clara responded pulling her oldest into a hug. "How is that chest of yours?"

"Mom, it's still healing, you know that." Ovid laughed hugging his mother back gently, not wanting to press against the angry slash across his chest.

"Yes, but don't forget, she is our mother, she worries about everything. Just watch, in three years and she will still ask you if it hurts." Spoke a soft voice from behind the older woman. Letting go of his mother, Ovid looked around to see his younger twin sister standing there with two steaming plates of food. "I just finished making lunch. Wanna eat with me?"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

With Ovid and Lillianna eating in the kitchen, Clara walked out of the house they were staying in. It was a simple log cabin, made with the wood from the nearby forest. The whole caravan stayed to help build it for Theo after his wife committed suicide and Luke was born. Theo had built some more additions onto the house since she last saw it, the training pit in the back, the barn on the side for the two horses they owned. There was even room for the four bulls and two horses that Dario had bought in the nearby village of Ardea to replace the ones that where killed in the raid.

After the raid, they had sent Concetta on the horse that had the least amount of injuries to go find some help. Dario and Clara had gone in the opposite direction back to the village they had just left to see if they could buy a horse there, but with no luck. Luck came to them through Connie though as she came back not even after half a day with Theo and Luke in tow and their two horses. With the help of Theo's healthy strong horses, and about three days and nights, they had managed to pull all three large caravans back to his house, and the other injured horse. The bull unfortunately was dead, so they decided to bury him in area that he was slain. Dario saying that "he was too much a part of the family for us to eat him for dinner." The rest of the caravan agreed. Shortly after arrival, both if the horses had passed away as well from their injuries. They also where properly buried.

Turning around, Clara looked at the three large forest green caravans that were resting just off to the side in the front of the little house. Theo, Enzo, and Gianni were all milling about in the area, fixing anything that had been damaged, which luckily wasn't much, for two of the caravans. The third was reduced to a pile of lumber and wheels, parts from it being used to repair the other two. Luke and Dario were in the barn tending to the horses and bulls that were in there.

Theo had grown in the last sixteen years, the crows feet starting to show around his eyes, the grey strands starting in his hair. He was always a smaller man, just a bit taller then Clara herself, but with some hidden powers. He had no problems picking up and hauling the largest trunks of wood for his cabin, or fighting against the horses that did not want to pull the caravans at first. He was a farmer with his large garden on the other side of the house, fallow for the winter months. He was always a jolly man, and even after his wife had died, he never blamed her, and never spoke badly of her to his son. Although the stress of raising his child showed on his features, he never did find a new wife, and didn't look for one either.

Luke was a different story. Small for his age, he was also a bit on the slower side, but still smart in his own way. He could work with animals in a way that would make Smithy proud. In weeks, the boy could train a horse to do pretty well anything that he wanted, from riding to pulling a cart. The lanky boy of sixteen acted like a nine year old at the best of times, and at the worst, a six year old. Perhaps that was the reason him and Viola got along so well. The five year old girl was currently playing with one of the cats in the back yard, her squeals making it over to the front of the house.

Wrapping her cloak tighter around herself to ward away the cold breeze of fall, Clara happened to look up toward the sky to see a large green mass flying in her general direction.

"Dario! We have a problem here!" It wasn't just Dario who answered the call, all the men within hearing range came running towards where she stood.

"What's wrong?" Theo asked being the first one to reach her side, closely followed by the other men.

"I see something green, and large flying in." Clara spoke with venom pointing towards the large mass in the sky.

"That couldn't be..." Gianni gasped looking into the sky.

"It is."

"Dragon."

* * *

**HA! I finish! Even with one of the most annoying cats I have ever had the chance to meet meowing for the last 10 minutes straight. :l (No, she is not my cat, she is my boyfriends older brothers cat. she just wants to go outside, but its raining now. So we are not letting her.) **

**But I managed to get the chapter done! :D **

**That totally reminds me, one of my wonderful readers and reviewers asked for the recipe that I had all the way back in chapter one. (That feels so long ago. :P ) I've posted the recipe on my profile page for anybody that is interested. :) **

**Tata for now. :) **


	13. Chapter 13, Her Number One

**Okay... I am sooooooooo sorry! I don't even know when I last updated... I looked on the site the other day, and a date is there, except I'm not sure if it's day/month/year or month/day/year. Hell it could be year/day/month! (I've seen that somewhere... Really messes a person up.) SO basically what has happened... Is One: I am having a hell of a time with this area of the story. I have an idea, but it's not coming out the way I visioned... (What I have posted is what I settled with... I'm not overly happy with it... But it's one version that worked the best which how I wanted things to turn out. Awkward sentence I know... Too lazy to fix. :P) I really do hope it works, and I know my wonderful readers will let me know if it's not. Two: These haven't been 'edited' by my boyfriend. Every time I leave the flash drive with him to read over the chapters and make sure they are good, I come back a week later and he hasn't looked at them. (Played that game for at least two months.) So sod it! I'll edit myself... (Here we go...) If I missed something please let me know, and I'll fix it. :) Three: I've been catching cold, after cold, after cold. Apparently it was all stress related. I had started working in my healthcare career in a private clinic, but the expectation of having to help 10 – 15 patients at a time was too much for me. (FYI I'm a rehabilitation assistant.) So I was getting really sick. :( MUCH better now that I don't have the job anymore and work in a hospital where it's more about the people then the money. :) ) I also had my Wisdom Teeth removed and found out I'm sensitive to codeine. (THAT my friends, was an adventure) So! Now that I'm all sorted out, here are the next batch of chapters that I have written up!**

**The only thing I have really changed in my writing style here, is that I have Ovid and his family speaking in their native tongue. When I do that, I will type it out in italics, so that you can tell that they are speaking in a different language. My boyfriend did a bit of research while I was planning out this chapter and found out that the year that Jane and the Dragon was based after, those who where from or around Italy spoke in a dialect of "vulgar Latin". They did write in Latin though. Because I cannot figure out for the life of me what that is, I'm just throwing it in Italics. Hopefully that is alright. :) if not I can write it out differently. I saw this technique in one authors book, but there is a second technique that I thought was cool if this one doesn't work out well... (Ill have to track down that book again to give the author recognition...) **

**Anyway, here we go with another one. **

**Disclaimer still has not changed. **

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Her Number One**

Kipper Castle ( One week and three days after the messenger left the Gypsies)

"So now I have to go back... And of course, he has to send somebody back with me. The last thing that Gypsy woman wanted." The blond hair rippled behind the man as he walked out of the castle, a snarl gracing his features and the Kings order still fresh. "And watch... it's going to be that pesky knight girl that will come along. Make my life hell why don't we."

"May I ask who you are talking to?" A female's voice rang thru the corridor, sweet, yet soft. Turning around the messenger saw a shorter girl with dark brown braided hair standing on the other side of the long hallway. A platter of steaming biscuits in her hand.

"And who might you be?" The blond asked with a sneer.

"Verbena. Who might you be?"

"None of your dam business you wench!"

"Well... I'll be!" Clicking, the 'Verbena' girl kept walking towards him, like she was about to offer him a biscuit. "How rude. No wonder the King booted you out."

"Now was is that supposed to mean?" The blond reached out his hand to grab one of the steaming balls of dough the girl had. Unfortunately for him she was faster then she looked.

"These are for the King. Not for you." She huffed her voice going down an octave. "You also should inform at least somebody in the castle who you are, or nobody will be able to find you Jane."

"What? How?" The man looked directly at the girl who was now standing right under his nose. She was a bit shorter then him, but was still able to look at him with with a gaze that would make a child cry. "Why would I need to find this Jane girl?"

"Rumour has it that there is a messenger in the castle that is here to report some injuries about one of our castle staff that currently is not here at the moment. If I know my King at all, he would send that messenger back to our said staff member with some herbs. Thus he would need the herbs, and a way to get there."

"How do you know all this?"

"Well, if you worked as fast as the personal servants the King have, maybe you would have gotten something done. The sad part about it is that everybody but you is ready."

"Ready?"

"I have some lunch prepared for you and Jane in the kitchen, you just have to pick it up. Your horse is already in the stables being taken care of. The gardener has prepared the needed herbs and has them in his garden waiting to be picked up. All you need to do now is find Jane and convince her and Dragon to take you. It's amazing what can be done in just a couple of hours."

Flabbergasted the messenger looked down at the cook a small smile was on her face, sadness in her eyes. "How did you all get everything ready so quickly?"

"Easy." She sighed. "The King had everything all planned out in advance. Part of the arrangement to allow his Jesters family to take him for awhile was to leave a replacement Jester, and to keep him updated on any injuries. He then told us after they left that if we saw or even heard of a messenger coming in we should get everything prepared. Even if it was just a false alarm." She placed a hand on the royal throne room doors and knocked, with a clear voice she announced her presence and was granted entrance. Turning around while opening the door she whispered, "Third times the charm. First two where false, you're not. Get your butt in gear or face the wrath of us all." With that she entered the throne room with a smile and the messenger ran off to find the female knight-to-be.

* * *

"Nope, nope, not a chance in hell."

"Why not Dragon? I'm sure you have flown farther then that."

Looming over the two visitors, Dragon looked down and snarled, his teeth bared toward the young man who was asking for the favour, his flaming haired friend behind him. "No. Flying that far would be tiring, and long."

"It took me one week to get here on horseback, I'm sure it would not take you long at all."

"Well, good for you."

"That one week includes sleeping and eating."

"Still not doing it."

"I'm sure you could get the entire trip done in two days if you wanted." The messenger sighed, this was not getting him anywhere.

"Do I look like the kind of Dragon that would be able to fly for two days straight with two people on my back?"

"Two? There would only be me, and I'm very sure you could do it. I could give you food and water in midair I'm sure."

"The only person I trust to feed me in the air is Jane, and I am not going anywhere without her."

The messenger sighed. "Look, I need to get these herbs to the Court Jester to help heal his wounds. You would not help a friend in need?"

"Jane can take them just as easily."

"The King has asked that Jane does not go. Does not want to lose her to the Gypsy family when her training has not yet been completed."

"She still comes. End of that discussion."

"So you will take me, if Jane comes along as well?"

"I will not take you anywhere, you must get back on your own."

"But how would she know where to go. Only I know the exact location of the family."

Dragon stopped and looked at the blond man. "Two days?"

"About three minimum... Four or five with delay. And that's with me guessing, I have never flown before."

"Jane comes?"

"If its the only way you will take me."

"You will protect Jane when I am out hunting for food?"

"With my life if she is that important to you."

"You will protect her. She will come, and we will rest for a day or two before coming back."

Pondering on it, the messenger held out his hand, "if that's what it will take, it's a deal."

"Fine. Jane?"

The red haired girl nodded her head and held up a bag containing everything they would need to last them two weeks. "There is money in here for food as I cannot carry that much, but other then that, I'm set to go."

* * *

Four days later...

"_Is that who I think it is?" _

"_It is."_

"_Dragon." _

The trio had arrived to where the messenger said the gypsy family was staying. Dragon was dead exhausted and flying toward the ground a little too quickly, with Jane too excited to really care. She had gotten everything prepared, and had overheard that the messenger was at the castle, and of the news he carried. To the displeasure of the King she was granted permission to travel with the blond man only if Dragon insisted that she came. He then gave her the funds to buy food for herself, and a small amount for the messenger, but she was only to use that in an emergency. The messenger is to fend for himself. She did ask about why, with the King only responding back that he didn't trust the man in the slightest. So, she was to also see how the funny man was doing and come back with the details.

Unfortunately, when they arrived, they where not welcomed with bright smiled and open arms, but with Clara pacing yelling in some foreign language that none of them could understand, and Dario standing there with him arms crossed. "What are you doing here?"

Confused Jane responded with "This messenger said that he had to deliver herbs to one of your injured. The King made it a priority and said that Dragon should fly it over, but he wont go anywhere without me."

"Well... This member is being well taken care of. It is scaring nicely as well. There was no need for the rush."

"I apologize that I was misinformed. Just allow Dragon to rest then I will be on my way."

"Where is the messenger that brought you here?"

Stopping, the three men that where there looked around for the blond that seemed to have dashed the moment they landed on solid ground. Frustrated Dario shouted over to Clara who was talking to two figures standing in the log cabins doorway. Jane turned around to see who the figures where only to see a young man and woman standing there, they looked very similar to each other, both with dirty blond hair and an oval face. The man was about a head taller then the girl with greyish-blue eyes and a jovial look about him his hair just touching his jawline, the girl looked over towards Jane with her blue eyes, her hair touching her shoulders. After making eye contact, the girl pulled on the boy saying something to him, looking up the man made eye contact with the red head before turning around and being pulled back into the cabin with the girl. "Jester?"

Running toward the cabin, Jane kept screaming out Jester's name hoping that it was really him and that he would hear her and come back out. Clara, seeing what the knight-to-be was doing, tried to block the doorway to the cabin only to be pushed out of the way by the smaller girl.

"Jester?!" Jane screamed once she entered the household looking around for the couple that had just been in the doorway.

"_Leave her be. I'll deal with it... She may not listen to anybody else."_ A masculine voice said from the other room as the young woman with the longer blond hair walked out into the main living area where Jane currently was standing, two long blades in each hand.

"_You sure?" _She responded back, her voice rough but still beautifully feminine the unfamiliar language flowing off her tongue.

"What are you guys saying?" Jane questions pulling out the Dragons sword from it's sheath.

"_She's asking questions Ovid... You better hurry out here." _

"Please?" Jane pleaded, "I know I saw somebody I know. Can I please just talk to him?" Suddenly Jane had a dagger to her neck, the smell of rain filling her nostrils. "_Who exactly __are you looking for?" _

Her training kicking in, she went to swing her sword at the person holding the dagger to her neck, only to have it knocked out of her hands by the woman in front of her. "Unhand me you heathen!" She yelled kicking at the legs of whoever was near. Outside, Dragon was roaring and making a fuss while calling out to Jane.

"_Fine... Take her to the back room, try to make it quick, mother is waiting." _

Confused, Jane could feel a tugging as the unknown man started pulling her farther into the household and into a room in the back before closing the door and locking it. Pushing her onto the bed the man asked, "_What in the devils name are you doing here? I thought the King had banned you from going to far away from the kingdom in fear of your safety?"_

"What are you saying to me?" Jane questioned the man who was looking at her with those familiar greyish-blue eyes. Anger clear across his face.

"_Shit, wrong language." _The man spoke again, then tried again. "I asked you what you where doing here."

"I was sent here by the King."

"Bull you where. I know for a fact that the King was worried about your safety and forbid you from leaving the kingdom unless there was a war or your training was complete."

"He made this one exception." She explained the situation while shouting was heard from the main area of the household. "Jester? Is that really you?" Jane questioned getting up from the bed, tears in her eyes.

The man stopped and looked at the red head in front of him, then his face softened, "I was called Jester for a time, by a good friend named Jane... Have you seen her lately?"

With pure happiness Jane jumped up and hugged her dear friend with all the strength she could muster. "You scared me, what was with all the anger and weapons? You held a dagger to my neck! And your family, the looked livid that I was here? What is going on?"

Jester looked down at the red head in his arms and laughed, "The King ordered us to scare you away if you where to follow us."

"But we are not in the Kingdom anymore." She paused, "Wait... Scare me away?"

"True, but you are still one of his knights-in-training. He didn't want something to happen to you before you where ready." Jester paused for the dramatic effect, "And it's in bad taste for a squire to be associated with Gypsies."

"Oh."

Gently pushing her towards the wall on the opposite side of the room, Jester continued to explain to Jane about how the King was worried that she would do something reckless if she knew about the fact that he was already to go with his parents, and stay with them for a minimum of five years. Eventually he had Jane pushed up and pinned against a wall. Leaning down he started to whisper into her ear, "We are heading out as soon as the caravans are repaired. I'm sure you would be able to stay for two days to recover before flying back to the castle. You have to promise me that you will go though, and you will listen. Everything we are about to do is for your protection."

"I'm not going anywhere until I know who was injured." Jane whispered back, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"You already know who was injured."

"I want to see it."

Backing away but still standing within an arms length, Jester grabbed at the bottom of his tan shirt and pulled it off in one swift motion revealing a toned chest and stomach with a fair tan to it. A blood red slash visible from his right shoulder to just below his left nipple ran clear across his chest, some of it beginning to scar while half was still scabbed over. Blood still trying to ooze out of the centre of the entire injury. Using his body to pin Jane to the wall again. "It was me. We got attacked by bandits in the woods and one did this to me. It's healing nicely, so you don't have to worry."

"You? In a fight?" Jane was stunned, she could never imagine Jester anywhere near any form of violence. The one time she tried to teach him how to use a sword he made a joke out of it, and now he's in fights and holding daggers to people's throats. "But... How?"

"Easy really, he cut me with his sword." Jester grinned and whispered into Janes ear causing her to blush a deep red, "but don't worry, I hit him in the head with a wooden mug."

"Hopefully you hit him good?" Jane whispered back, her voice cracking which confused her to no end.

"I hit him hard enough that I killed him..." Jester whispered, obvious shame in his voice.

"You? Killed a man?" Jane laughed, I never thought you had it in you.

"Neither did my entire family. Want to earn respect here? Kill a man in combat, with a wooden cup." Grinning Jester released her and walked over to his bed where fresh white linen was, cut into strips that could be used as a wrap and began to dress his wound. "But I assume you need to get going? Dragon is still probably losing his mind out there."

"I don't want to go back."

"No? Why is that?" Jester questioned turning around and looking at Jane who was fumbling around in her pocket eventually pulling out a silver ring that looked large enough to fit onto Dragon's claw. It had another ring attached on top of it making it look like to different sized rings had been stacked right on top of each other. "My mother wants me to find a suitor. She said it was lucky that I would be allowed to pick my future husband, by using this ring that the wizard gave me."

"How does it work?" Jester asked finishing the dressing on his chest, he held out his hand to hopefully look at the ring.

Placing the rings onto Jester hand Jane explained what was told to her, "He said that the ring would fit that one I loved the most by shrinking down to the perfect size for the mans finger. The man I chose is then to take the second ring off the top of the first and slide it onto my finger if he accepts my love. That's all he said."

After looking it over during her explanation, Jester gave the rings back to Jane looking sad, " And knowing your mother, she had you put that ring on some potential suitors already."

"Four different men to be exact. I was curious how it worked so I also tried it on Smithy, Rake, a cutish boy from the village, and Gunther." Pondering on it she added, "So I suppose that would bring the number up to eight men."

"And?" Jester probed

"Nothing. No shrinking, glowing, anything."

"Well... Maybe you need to try knights from a different kingdom? You are close enough to the Italian King's court, and I've heard he has some fine looking men working under him." Jester offered, shrugging his shoulders.

"What about you?" Jane asked, a hopeful look in her green eyes, "You're a guy."

"True, I am of the male gender, but I don't think it would work on me. You really should try somebody else. Move on, maybe some hot stranger will do the trick?" Jester tried to jokily say, sadness evident in his voice.

"Please?" Jane pleaded, "I've tried it on every other boy I know, I would prefer to try it at least on another boy I know before going to the hot strangers."

"But Jane," Jester whispered, "What if you never came out here to try this ring on me?"

"Then I would have to keep placing it onto other men until it shrunk"

"Have you tried Dragon? You said it had to be a man you loved." Jester asked with a grin on his face

"Yes, he insisted on it, the ring wouldn't go on him at all, too small."

"Oh, that's too bad. You would have been perfect for each other."

Thinking about it, Jester shrugged and held up his left hand toward Jane, "Fine, try it. I don't think anything would happen."

"What if something does?" Jane asked, using her right hand to hold Jester's hand steady.

"Do you know what it means when it does shrink?"

"Nope." Jane chirped, "Just that it tells me that I love said man, and I should bring him to the wizard."

"Oh. Well that's alright then."

Taking a deep breath, Jane fumbled with the ring, then slowly slid it onto Jesters third finger. When at first nothing happened, Jane sighed in disappointment before both teenagers in the room were blinded by a flash of light shining from the silver band on the boys hand. After blinking away the light Jester looks at Jane with a stunned face, "What just happened?"

"No idea, it's done that only once. When I tried it on my own hand to see what it would do. That's when it produced the second ring there."

"Ah." Taking off the ring Jester looked at Jane with a sorry face. "I am sorry, but at least you tried."

"True I did." Jane spoke softly with a hint of sadness in her voice and took the ring back from Jester and looked at it. "Wait a minute. This is only one ring, where did the other one go?"

Looking around the floor for a couple of minutes, Jester let out a gasp as he looked toward his left hand.

"What is it?" Jane asked looking over from where she stood, and seeing the silver band perfectly molded to Jester finger

"I found your ring..." Jester gawked at it for a few seconds then held out his hand. "Quick give me the other one!"

Without a word, Jane quickly dropped the other half into Jesters hand in which he grabbed Jane's left hand and slid the ring onto her third finger. After another flash of light, Jane looked at her hand to see the ring had shrunk to fit her finger perfectly as well.

"Oh..."

"That's all you can say?" Jester asked, "Oh?"

"Yeah. Oh."

"_Hurry up in there, mom found a place for Jane to stay, Dragon needs rest before he can take her back to the castle." _Came a voice from the other side of the closed door. "_Also, you will need to have to tell me what the bright lights were. Could see that flash from the living room." _

"And, that would be my sister..." Jester responded with a laugh. "She is pretty easy going, you don't have to worry."

"If it's the girl with the double swords, I have every reason to be worried."

"Nah, she just looks terrifying when she whips those out. She's actually very nice." Jester grinned for a second then added, "Unless you piss her off. Then she makes a grizzly look like a kitten."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Jane frowned looking towards her taller friend.

"Ovidius"

Stunned, Jane cocked her head to one side, "What?"

"That's my real name, Ovidius. You can call me Ovid for short."

"_Would you kiss her already, mom's getting impatient..."_

"What did she say? And in what language are you speaking in?"

Ovid laughed and slightly tilted his head toward the location of the door, "_Shhhhh Lilli, you will ruin everything."_

"_I'll ruin everything in person and not through this door if you don't speed it up." _

"_I'm not going to kiss her my sister. It's not right." _Ovid paused and looked at the emerald green eyes of the knight-to-be in front of him. "Although, I wouldn't mind."

"You wouldn't mind what?" Jane asked, confusion strong in her features.

"_Hell boy! If you don't kiss her, I will!" _Lilli shouted through the door, irritation laced into her voice. "_Besides, if you don't you will moan my ears off about how you should have, and that will drive me to murder. She's here, I'm stalling mom and dad, and your in a 'private' room. Need I say more?" _

With that, Ovid turned towards Jane and pushed her up against the wall again, Ovid pinned his body against Jane in a way that caused her to blush again. Her chest pressed hard against his, their heartbeats battling against each other. Whispering into her ear once more, "We speak Latin, and she told me to hurry up and kiss you." Upon finishing his sentence, Ovid gently pressed his lips against Jane's tasting her sweetness, then just as quickly pulled her away from the wall and opening the door then pushing her into Lilli's arms.

"_About time... Geez._ Now come on you, our mom's getting antsy."

Following the two girls out through the house and to the main door where Clara was pacing Ovid looked like the heavens just split open for him to see, and even when Jane got onto Dragon's back and was about to follow Dario on horseback to where they could rest until they had enough strength to go back to Kippernum, Ovid's mood could not be swayed. Suddenly Jane turned around on Dragon's back and yelled toward Ovid, "You better Come Back to Me, you hear?!"

Waving his left hand towards Jane, Lilli looked up and saw the ring. Punching him she questioned, "_Where did you get the ring from? And why is it blue?_"

* * *

**Well, there you have it. Their first kiss. Now as for the ring. Some of you may already know what it means, for those of you that don't I will explain in the next chapter. :) **

**And no... This was not the chapter that was causing me heartache. It's the next two... **

**Tata for now! **


	14. Chapter 14, The Trip To Town

**And the chapters keep coming! :) (Have you all forgiven me yet?) **

**Alright, this chapter is all through Lillianna's POV. (done in first person... I wanted to try it out.) I figured it would be fun writing a chapter from the twin. :) **

**Same as in the last chapter, if its in quotations and in Italic, they are speaking in the vulgar Latin. :) **

**Disclaimer still has not changed at all. **

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**The Trip to Town**

Watching Jane go down the hill is like watching the sun set. The red never seems to leave your eye sight. It didn't help that she was riding on top of that large lizard they called 'Dragon'. What a name that is. Dragon. Its almost like naming one's dog, well, Dog. It's silly. But I suppose if maybe it was something the lizard called himself and Jane went along with it, then it could be ignored.

But it wasn't so much the idea of her leaving that sparked my attention, but the newly acquired ring that my older twin seemed to have on his finger. "_Where did the ring come from? And why is it blue?" _

Ovid stop his waving and looked down at his hand shrugging. "_I dunno. Why does it matter to you?" _

"_I'm your sister... You didn't have that when you dragged her into the room. What exactly did you do?" _

"_Kissed her." _He shrugged "_Just like you said." _

"_So you do everything that I tell you?" _By this point I was facing him full on with my hands on my waist. It was at this point that I noticed the ring had turn silver. "_What in the devil? The ring is silver!" _

Confused he looked at me full in the face, "_Well of course it is. Its a silver ring"_

"_No, no. Just a second ago it was blue, I swear." _

Both of us looked down at the now silver ring. Curious, Ovid tilted his hand slightly to the right and there in front of both of our eyes it turned blue. "_Holy devil! What is this thing?" _Ovid had exclaimed loud enough that it brought Grandfather Gianni over to us looking confused. Before the larger man even made it to us, he too saw the ring.

_ "Well, I'll be damned. My boy, your engaged!" _

"_WHAT?" _Both Ovid and myself shouted bringing over the rest of the caravan. Dragging us out into the front yard Grandfather explained. "_Your to be wed. When did that appear?"_

"_But grandfather, I'm confused. All I did was allow Jane to try this ring on me, she said it didn't do anything to the other boys that she tried it on, and because she so happened to have found me, she thought she should try it. Also, I'm a guy. Only women are to be wed. The man is to do the wedding part." _

"_My boy." _Grandfather started suddenly turning serious, "_Was this by any chance enchanted by the wizard that resides in that castle you used to call home? And welcome to the caravan... Anybody is engaged to be wed in this family!" _

"_She did mention something like that." _

"_Boy! You got yourself a future wife, and us a living chance!" _Grandpa Enzo shouted pumping his fist into the air.

"_No, Grandfather Enzo, Jane is a squire. She is in service to the King. If this is even allowed, he __would __be leaving us." _I explained looking at my brother.

"_Well it was bound to happen eventually." _Grandmother Rhonda whispered, her voice barley carried in the wind. She always like that, unless she was mad, then its wasn't the wind that carried her voice, but just her.

"_And what is that supposed to mean?" _Grandfather Enzo snarled, anger already starting to ebb in his voice.

"_We are a dying caravan. We only have four un-married people in the caravan. Four of us are old. The rest are getting there. One may be leaving, one is unknown, one is a skirt chaser, and the other is still a baby." _ Grandfather Gianni is always the voice of reason. The funny thing about it is that he is right, yet far off. We may not always be travelling gypsies, but you cant take the fact we are gypsies out of our blood.

"_I say we worry about that when the time comes. We have always been a smaller group of players then the others we have meet along the road. But we are still a group of travelling players, headed on our way to go perform for the King of Italy. I think we are fine." _Aunt Connie spoke from the back of the gathering. "_The more important thing right now is to get the information to Dario and Clara. They are taking the young knight to Ardea. Hopefully there the bandits wont try and do something with her." _

"_I'll go" _I spoke up. I always wanted to go galloping as fast as I could on a horse. But couldn't due to the fact that we all had to stay with the caravans, and they move pretty slowly.

"_Lillianna!" _Ovid looked over at me, "Wouldn't_ it be more wise if I went?"_

"_Then come with me. If it's true, then you need see your lady again. Plus I doubt her family is going to be thrilled about the idea of her marrying into a group of gypsies like us. The idea of it!" _I put my hands onto my cheeks to show the mock horror of Jane having to marry down into the level of a commoner, a level she probably had never been anywhere near in her entire life I'm assuming.

"_It's settled. Ovid, Lilli. Go catch up with your father and mother. Tell them the joyful news. Come back with them." _

_ "I didn't even do it on purpose." _Ovid sighed as we quickly got the horses ready to go. "_I keep looking at the ring wondering what it means." _

"_How so?" _I questioned, checking the saddle on my horse. Luke really did know how to put one of those on, it was flawless. Not one little thing I had to tighten, adjust, or move. Perfect.

"_It's an even darker blue, with a bit of a green ting to it." _Ovid responded looking at the ring on his hand while moving it slightly left and right. The ring itself looked like a simple ring, so simple, it was a silver band, nestled nice and close to his finger. The part that was the most confusing was if he held his hand at a certain angle, it would change colours. Right now was the perfect example. To me the ring looked silver, to him it was blue. Then he moves his hand, now it looks blue to me and silver to him. What a pickle.

"_Do you think dad would know what it means?" _I asked climbing up onto my beautiful chestnut mare. She being one the four new horses dad had bought a couple of months ago. Ovids was a black stallion, kind of a strange choice for pulling a waggon, it looked more like it was built for speed, not strength like my mare was. I'd have to remember to ask dad why he did that.

"_To be totally honest with you Lilli, I'm shocked Grandfather didn't tell us. He looked like he knew what it was and what was going on, but just left it." _He looked at me his greyish-blue eyes meeting my dark blue ones just before pulling himself up onto his horse. "_How long does it even take to get to Ardea?" _

"_Quarter of a day. Half of that to get there and the other to come back." _I quoted, even copying the finger in the air motion dad does when he is being a smart ass. Ovid barked out a laugh, then clicked his tongue nudging his horse forward and out the barn door waving thanks to Luke who had been standing there looking bored for the whole time we where in there. Thanking Luke myself, I got my mare into action and caught up with my twin brother.

* * *

Riding as fast as I could on that mare was exhilarating, and I loved it. Ovid's horse was much faster then mine as he had to keep slowing down to allow me to catch up. Dad probably got it for that reason. To be able to move quickly if we ever needed help.

"We have to be almost there right?" I asked looking down the horizon, I knew that Ardea was just right over the small hill we where currently riding over. "Dad must have moved quickly."

Ahead of me, already on the top of the hill was Ovid and his black horse waving down towards something, then turning his head to see me waved to hurry up. "Found Mum and Dad!" He shouted. "They all saw me and are waiting on the bottom of the hill!" Gently Nudging my mare to go a touch faster, I managed to make it on the top of the hill and started going towards the other side to where the large lizard was, the mop of red still sitting by the head.

"What in the devils name?!" Dad had yelled, "_I know you love her boy, but really? Dragging your sister along?"_

"_He didn't drag me along." _I countered slowing down my horse so that I was sitting beside my father, Ovid just walked his horse to us, the black animal shaking his head at the idea of walking. "_I dragged him along, just grabbed the wrong horse." _Dad laughed at the comment then when Ovid finally rode up behind him, grabbed both me and my twin and shoved our faces into his pits.

"_Now tell me, what brings both of you here before the smell gets to you?" _Dad asked, letting go almost immediately so we could get fresh air. Kind of defeats the purpose, and I made a mental note to tell him that later.

"_Honey. You know as well as I that your armpits don't smell anywhere near as bad as my fathers." _Mom stated a smile on her face. "We also should speak in English, the poor girl will feel left out."

Dad barked out another laugh which startled all the horses, "Your mother, always thinking of everybody else."

Reaching over dad's beautiful chocolate mare I punched Ovid in the arm. "Didn't you have something you wanted to show dad?"

"Yes?" Dad questioned looking towards his oldest, and only son who was holding up his left hand so that both mom and dad could see the ring that had fastened itself onto his finger.

"What's this mean?" Ovid asked, at this time Jane had finally slid of the Dragons back and come over to see what the meeting was about. Dragon just put his head down, mumbling something about short lives and how little things amuse them.

"That?" Dad asked pointing towards the ring, "Is a ring my boy. And it means, your wearing a ring."

"I know that, dad" Ovid sighed and started to tilt his hand from side to side just to see that the ring had turned a yellow in colour.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed. "What the hell? First it's blue, now it's yellow!"

"Was there two? One on top of that one?" Mom asked as dad put Ovid's hand into his.

"Yeah." He answered, using his right hand pointed at Jane. "She has it now."

"Sweetie?" Mom questioned, looking down towards Jane. "What colour is yours?"

"Ummmm..." Jane looked at her hand that the ring was on. "Silver."

"Move your hand around" I said, "That's when you see the colours."

Nodding, and following what I said Jane moved her hand from side to side. "Yellowish-red. Why?"

Looking towards my brother, dad asked, "How are you feeling?"

Shrugging, Ovid answered, "I dunno happy I guess. Chest hurts right now."

"It's a promise ring." Dad responded.

"A what?"

"Promise ring." Dad adjusted how he was sitting and let go of Ovid's hand. "You give it to the person you love as a promise that you will marry them. Soldiers during war time give them to their sweethearts if they could afford it to promise they where coming back so that their lady wouldn't be married off. The colours that one sees when they tilt their hand is the feelings of the other person. That's why it comes in a pair. It's very basic though and cant tell all emotions that a person can feel, but it can pick out the big ones like happiness, or sadness."

Mom took over from this point, "They cost a lot to make as you have to have pure silver for the spell the wizard casts onto it to hold. That and wizards are hard to come by. If I remember correctly, the basic colours are blue, green, yellow, black, purple, red, pink, silver, orange, and brown."

"What do they all mean?" Jane asked still looking at her ring.

"That's for the two of you to figure out. They mean different things for each pair of ring holders." Mom answered. "So far, I'm guessing yellow is happy."

"Blue is probably sad." I chimed in, "as you where looking so depressed that she was leaving."

"I was not depressed!" Ovid snapped, his pride now out on his sleeve. Only a matter of time before dad starts picking on him.

"Oh?" Dad poked, didn't take him long, "Depressed are we?"

"I'm not depressed." Ovid mumbled which caused everybody in the gathering to laugh. "What about red then? Jane said hers was red too." Ovid questioned to change the topic.

"You did comment on how your chest was sore." I poked his chest." Maybe it means 'wounded' like your pride."

"Yeah, well, at least I don't cry like a baby at every thunderstorm."

"Thunderstorms are scary. I'm not afraid to admit that."

"You cry at thunderstorms?" Jane asked, the amusement clear in her voice.

"I had a terrifying and scarring experience as a child. So, yes, I cry." I crossed my arms daring her to continue to make fun of me.

"Oh what? You saw a flash of lightning?" Jane smirked, but quickly stopped when she saw Ovid expression. Even I could tell he was not amused.

"When we were younger, Lilli saw a man get hit by lightning. I only saw the after affects of it. The man was dead, and him and the ground around him was charcoal."

"It was pretty scarring." I responded. "Besides, I thought you are afraid of the dark?"

"Was. I was afraid of the dark. As a squire, I must conquer all my fears, and so I did."

"Oh really?" Sliding off the back of my horse I walked up so that I was standing right in front of Jane, I was a bit shorter then her by about half a head, but I still managed to make her take a half step back. "So your not afraid of the dark? The creatures who lurk in the shadows? The bandits who prey on the innocent camping for the night?"

"I'm not." Jane shivers a bit as I blew onto her neck as I ran my hand up her thigh causing her to jump back in surprise. "What was that for?"

"Oh, just a demonstration that its not only men out there, but women too. You need to be ready for it all. I'd almost recommend losing your virginity just so it's not stolen from you."

"Says the girl who is just as much a virgin as I." Jane stood up straight and looked Lilli down. "Are you trying to scare me? It's not working."

"I'm trying to warn you. It's true that I'm virgin as well, but I'm also not going to give it up without a brutal fight." I cleared my throat, "Your in my domain now, kicking them in the balls wont stop them, you need to actually slice them off." Every man that was within hearing range squirmed uncomfortably in their saddles at that mention. Smiling at the stunned expression I got in close to the red headed green eyed girl. And whispered into her ear, "Hang on to that purity like its the only thing keeping you on this earth. Give it to my brother. But only when you both are ready. It's the least you can do for him for the battle that he's about to fight, as well as you."

"Fight?"

"You wont be able to see him again for who knows how long. If you truly love him like he loves you, you will be fighting just as hard. He also has purity. And he will hang onto it just for you. Just like he's hung on to the memory of you, and the will to return to you. Don't die on him, and he wont die on you. Don't give up on him either, that's a sadness I refuse to deal with. Twin or not." With those words, I turned on her and climbed back up onto my mare. My family looking at me like I just returned from the dead or something. Jane stood where I left her in complete shock, only moving when Dragon pressed his nose against her and she climbed back onto his neck. The five of us plus the dragon then continued what was left of the small journey towards Ardea while the Ovid and my father tried to figure out what the other colours of the ring could possibly mean. Good thing they where all taking this as well as they where. The King is going to be furious when she returns promised to a man that is not even in the kingdom with no guarantee of his return besides the promise and that little silver ring now on his finger.

"_Good luck my brother."_

* * *

**Another one! :D This is one of the chapters that gave me trouble. But I'm pretty satisfied with the end result. :) **

**Please review and tell me what you think of my attempt at first person... I have written in it before (and in this story too) but they are mostly letters and journal entries. So yeah... Let me know! :) **

**Tataa for now!**


	15. Chapter 15, The Fight Begins

**Alright! Here we go again! Are you all ready? I'm not. (Yet I'm writing it... Explain the logic in that one.) **

**Disclaimer is still the same. **

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**The Fight Begins**

"Do you think she will be alright?" Lillianna asked, rolling over in the double bed to face her twin brother who was looking up at the ceiling.

"She's going to be a knight soon. I'm sure she is fine." Ovid answered not moving his eyes from the spot in the ceiling.

"Yet," the female twin paused, musing how she was going to word it, "You're still worried?"

Blinking a couple of times, Ovid took a deep breath before releasing it into the dark room. The two of them could hear the crickets in the yard through the open window above their heads, the moon light just barely shining through the slit that was between the simple grey cloth covering the window. The wind blowing in and making it sway, the blond hair on the male twin head slowly moving. "Yes."

With the wind still rustling the blankets, Lilli put her hand on her twins face and pulled it towards her until they had made eye contact. "Then do something about it." She whispered.

"Like what?" Ovid whispered back, pulling her hand away with one of his.

"Anything." Lilli lifted herself up onto her elbow, the blanket sliding down her bare shoulder and exposing the nightdress she was wearing. It was simple, just sundress that she had worn for years, light blue in colour. "Moping around is not going to do anything."

"Lilli." Ovid's sharp tone took her back with surprise. "You of all people know that she is not supposed to be here."

"Dad only forced her to go to the inn in the town and me sleep in the same bed as you to make sure you didn't bed the red head by accident"

Sitting upright and exposing his bare chest, the scar barely visible in the moon light, Ovid gasped. "Bed her? Is there really that little trust in me?"

"It's not that father doesn't trust you." Lilli whispered, caution trailing behind as she sat up beside her brother, the bed creaking under their combined weight. "It's just very easy to have it go to far."

Defeated Ovid sighed again. "That is true. Even if I had the control to stop, she may not."

"Well, it only takes one to stop the ball rolling" Lilli giggled under her breath then cocked her head to the side to make sure they haven't woken up their parents in the next room. "It's not that mom and dad don't want to become grandparents. As they already are, and you are of marriageable age..."

"It's the King" Ovid cut off. "He wouldn't appreciate me impregnating his knight quite yet."

"Well... He's going to have to get over that." Lilli giggled again then looked down at the floor beside the bed to see Viola laying on the floor her light brown hair gently cascading over her face, her eyes closed with the deep slumber she was in. "We have company."

"I wonder how did she get in without us hearing?" Ovid asked, looking as his sister crawled out of bed, her nightdress falling to her ankles. Looking down, Lilli squatted to the floor and scooped up her small niece in her arms before turning around to face her older brother, curiosity strong in his eyes. "Who knows. Maybe we left the door open, or she was here the entire time."

"I haven't fallen asleep yet" Ovid replied looking at his niece while his sister placed her down on the bed between them then crawling back in herself.

"Really? The moon is at it's peak. I've at least gotten a little sleep." Lilli rolled down into the bed making her self comfortable before pulling the child Viola into her warm embrace. "Brr... Her feet are frozen"

"I can imagine." Ovid laughed under his breath laying down on his side and wrapping his arms around both the young girl and his younger twin sandwiching the child between them. "She was probably under the bed. Something must have scared her."

"Well," Lilli kissed the back of Viola's head as the girl shuffled around making herself more comfortable in her aunt and uncles embrace, "she is safe with us now. And I'm sure Jane is more then okay. Sleep my brother."

"I'll try." The older twin responded also kissing the younger child before closing his eyes to the world, even if it was for only a couple more hours.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx Xx

It had been a full day and half a night since the group of gypsies dropped her off at the inn. Dario at least had the capacity to explain the situation in full to Jane before him, his wife Clara and their twins Ovidius and Lillianna departed back to the little house on the other side of the hill from the town she was in.

"Jane." He had said once they reached the towns inn in Ardea, " I'll have to apologize for our rudeness earlier. There has been talk of war in these regions and we didn't want you to get caught up in the middle of it." Dario had patted her shoulder at this point.

"But..." Jane gasped, "I'm trained for this!"

"We know." Dario sighed, "The thing is, it's not your war to fight. You're not from here. Your King is not here, you have no reason to fight. Nothing to protect."

"I do have something to protect!" Jane had argued back, almost getting into the older mans face about it while pointing at Ovid. "I have him!"

"I can protect myself" Ovid said, pulling up his sleeve to show a dagger strapped to his upper arm, his twin showing the same thing. "I have two more on my person, plus three people as backup if I need it. I'll be fine."

Jane was about to argue this point before his twin cut in, her voice sounding harsh. "You swore an oath to your King. Not this one. It's not even our battle to fight, but we are getting in the middle of it. You need to go back and protect your King. Nobody else. Not even yourself. That's why we are doing it for you."

"How do you know that there is a war?" Jane questioned remembering the blue sky just outside the door, not even 10 feet away.

"Messengers mostly, they talk of many raids from beings called "The Vikings"." Dario laughed. "The Vikings. Or Danes, I've meet a couple in my travels."

"No you haven't dear." Clara sighed hitting her husband on the shoulder. "The point we are making, is that it's not safe for you here. You need to go home. Tomorrow morning, you will take Dragon and go home. We will be fine."

With that they had all hugged her, the twins each giving her a kiss on the cheek. Lillianna licking Jane up to her ear just to spite Ovid, who just glared at her then smiled at Jane walking out of the inn with his parents. Lilli following after.

"Damn them, Damn them, DAMN THEM!" Jane swore into her pillow, smacking it with each curse. "I'm able to protect them! And follow my oath to the King. I would be protecting one of his followers."

Jane looked up from her bed and out of the window, the moon full, and bright. "There isn't even smoke outside. I probably could have stayed with them for the night."

Jane's thoughts where interrupted by the loud, blood-curling scream outside her window. In a flash, Dragon had already popped his head into the window, splintering the wooden frame with his head.

"Jane. Get your things, don't even worry about changing, just grab your stuff and climb on, I can smell blood."

Without missing a beat, Jane had bolted out of her bed and gathered all the things she had into the travellers bag she brought with her and then climbed onto the windows ledge. Looking to her left, she could see large fires coming from the houses in the middle of the once quite town, screams of men, women and children alike could be heard. Some clinging of swords where also heard with more fires starting. The smoke was billowing up to the sky like a swarm of angry bees trying to fend off a bear from his home. "I guess I spoke far too soon."

"Come on Jane," Dragon pleaded the area on his neck where she normally sits already by the window sill. "We need to get going, and now!"

Slinging the bag over her shoulders and wearing it like a backpack, Jane clamoured onto Dragons back, "We need to go back and warn the Gypsies!" She screamed, tears falling down her face, her eyes burning from the smoke.

"I'm sure they are fine!" Dragon shouted back, jumping up from the ground and spreading his wings, dispersing some of the fires deadly by-product. "But since I need to fly in that direction, we can check them. No stopping if they are already in action."

"Fine, but I need to see."

Turned out the gypsies where more then prepared for the sudden attack on the small town not far from Theo's small wooden cabin. The bulls where already hitched onto two of the caravans, All unimportant things left in the single still broken caravan in attempts to make the remaining two lighter for the bulls. The three fastest horses had been saddled, and three bags filled with provisions nearby. Lillianna sported a large quiver on her back filled until it could hold no more arrows, with the bow beside, the string spread across her chest. A large axe was mounted sideways onto a grey stallion that was built, but Theo promised was fast. Ovid had one sword strapped onto his back, the other onto his waist, and another bow and quiver of arrows on the saddle of the black stallion he rode earlier to drop off Jane in the town. Luke just had a simple sword strapped onto his waist, and already was sitting upon a tortoise shelled mare with his father holding the reins. Tears falling freely down his face.

"Son." Theo looked up at his only son, tears threatening to fall, "you have to go with them. You know your way around here, and you have to show them the way. They will do everything to keep you safe. But you have to stay with them."

"No!" Luke shouted back to his dad, fighting him to stay at home. "I want to stay here with you, and the horses."

"I'm not staying here though. I'm going with the caravans. They need me. Ovid and Lilli need you."

"Why do they need me?"

"Because we are the future for this caravan." Lilli explained, sadness in her voice. She had already mounted her stallion with Viola hugging against her front, the small five year old girl crying into Lilli's chest. "We have to stay alive. We are going a different way. The caravan is going to try and get into Italy to see if the King is still alive which I'm sure he is. We still owe him a performance. We are going to try and stay away from the battle, and loop around to get to Italy. If we can't then we are going to head back toward Kipper Castle to help defend them."

"That still doesn't mean you need me..." Luke stated back.

The argument was brought to an end when the shouts of "The town's being attacked!" coming from the clouds. Everybody stopped what they where doing to look up and see Dragon fast approaching. Jane shouting at the top of her lungs from his back.

"Dammit Jane!" Ovid shouted back, "Just go straight back to the castle. King Caradoc is going to need you!"

Instead though she landed and jumped off Dragons back, much to his approval and ran up to Ovid, catching him in a hug. Her night gown, fluttering in the wind. "Not without you."

"Your going to have to. I need to help my sister." Ovid quickly hugged her back before pushing her away from him and holding onto her shoulders. "You need to change quickly, and climb back onto Dragon and go back. We are all about to leave."

"But..." Jane stuttered, "I can't leave you."

" Your going to have to." Clara whispered into her ear, handing Jane some simple Gypsy clothes. "Wear these until you get back to the castle. Do not put your knight attire on at any time. This way, you will not be recognized. The talk is that it's just bandits on a rampage, but I fear something worse."

" I want to be recognized!" Jane shouted back at the older woman. I worked hard the become the first female squire!"

"I'm not asking you, or trying to hurt your pride. I'm telling you, to keep you safe." Clara pushed the clothes into her hands as she bent down to grab the bottom of Jane's night gown. "Besides, you should be recognized as Kipperniums Female Knight. Not Italy's."

"No!" Jane screamed and kicked the woman away from her only to be grabbed by Ovid's surprisingly strong hands.

"Your a squire Jane. Not a knight. You need to act like a student, not the teacher."

Spinning around Jane looked square into Ovid's eyes. "Are you lecturing me?"

"No." The taller male sighed. "I'm telling you. Please. For me."

"Begging now?"

Ovid cracked a small grin that disappeared once Clara flipped the gown over Jane's head. Standing naked out in the open for everybody, including Ovid to see, Jane blushed a millions hues of red.

"Well...I'm – Uh..."

"Naked. We can all see that. Raise your arms up above your head." Ovid laughed, readying the pale blue shirt to put onto Jane. Clara was down at her ankles slipping a pair of under garments onto Jane's legs. Taking a deep breath Jane slowly raised her arms up about her head, exposing the triangular breasts underneath. Quick as a flash, Ovid slipped the blue shirt over her head then tied a belt around her waist making it look like she was wearing a tunic. Turning her around, Clara managed to slip on a pair of black trousers that fit Jane like a glove. Boots where then pushed into her hands.

"The shirt and pants where Lillianna's but you can wear them for now. The boots where once mine, but they don't fit anymore. You can keep them." Clara said, a tear forming in her eye. "Be careful." With that she walked up to her son, gave him a squeeze and kissed him square on the lips ignoring the protests of "mother, please" coming from the boy.

Jane bent over to slip the boots onto her bare feet, she will have to find stockings later, then looked up at Ovid, determination set into his once jovial face.

"I love you Jane. Always have. Always will."

A wolf whistle sounded from behind a shocked Jane, and she turned her head to see Lilli on the back of a grey horse with a little girl in her embrace strapped on by a baby carrier, trotting up to her. "Well done my dear brother!" The younger female twin smiled, "Luke and I will meet you by the forest's entrance" Lilli spoke with concern in her voice, pointing towards the area that she would wait. "I'll let you finish up, then come over. Kay?"

"Okay." Ovid nodded, causing Lilli to hit her heels onto the side of the horse and gallop away.

Jane was still in shock from the confession, her mouth gaping open. She could hear every word spoken around her. All the well wishing and crying. The screams getting louder from the town, and even the caravans beginning to move, the heavy pants from the bulls as they began to pull the large green caravans toward their new destination. The soft breathing from the man who just confessed his love for her nearby.

She had no words, only actions, and with one swift movement, Jane walked up to her Jester and gave him a deep meaningful kiss on the lips while standing on her toes. Once the shock came over him, Ovid deepened the kiss that was given to him wrapping his arms around the waist of the fiery haired girl pulling her closer to him pressing his body into hers. Finally she relaxed into his arms, and into the kiss slowly wrapping her arms around the mid-section of the taller man.

There they stood ignoring all sounds around them. The wolf-whistles from the caravan, the sighs from Dragon, the screams from the town. Everything. All that mattered was the deep passion surrounding the couple as they tasted each others flavours. Sweetness like strawberries from Jane, Musk from Ovid. The strength portrayed in his lips, and in his tongue as it darted out to lick Jane's lower lip. The sharp intake of air with allowed him access. The battle of tongues, the tightening of the embrace, the moans of pleasure. That's all that mattered in this bittersweet moment. Sweet as it was happening, bitter as it had to come to an end. The two slowly separated from the connection and joined again in a gentle hug.

"I love you too."

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**Whoo! This is the chapter that I'm a little iffy on. It came out well, but I'm unsure of it. For those who are wondering. In the time of Jane and the Dragon, the Danes (AKA Vikings) had raided the coastline of Europe. (Well, that's where they started) If my map skills are correct, the Kingdom of Kippernium would be right in the middle of the raid. This chapter is the 'hinting' of the raid to come. For now, it's just bandits being ass holes. My aim for this chapter was the attempt to show the fear from just rumours that have been spread from the small villages that have already been attacked, and the actual attack from bandits on Ardea. The idea of the group separating is that the main caravans would have a harder time getting around all the chaos so they are just going to use brute force and attempt plow thru, which of course wouldn't be safe for Viola being only fiveish, and Jester still having his wound. So the smaller group is going to go around the chaos and meet up with the caravans on the other side. Luke is joining them as Italy is his domain and can escort, and Lilli... Well she's the brute force until Jester heals. Theo is rejoining the caravan's for the same reason he sent Luke with the twins. Please let me know what you guys think! **

**Tata for now! **


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